Post mortem alerted police after desperate bid to pay off debts
Robert and Sian Hammond spent the day shopping together and using their home gym at their substantial Cambridgeshire home. Just a few hours later, at 2 am in the morning, Hammond called police to report the death of his 46-year-old wife in her sleep.
Hammond, 47, who used the name James rather than Robert, operated as Hammonds Mortgage Services Ltd in Huntingdon, and had also operated his own financial advisory company, LimeTree Financial Services.
Despite having offered others financial planning advice, Hammond wasn’t effective with his own affairs, racking up huge debts to HMRC and Legal and General, and in late October last year he went to extreme lengths to try to reset his financial position.
Earlier this week, he was found guilty of murdering his wife, Sian Hammond, after paying off the arrears on her life insurance policy just days before her death. Faced with a crippling £300,000 debt, Hammond saw the £450,000 life insurance payout as a way to escape his financial woes.
The verdict came after Cambridge Crown Court heard detailed evidence of Hammond’s financial struggles and his deceitful attempts to delay payments.
Strangulation and financial motive
On October 30 of last year, Sian Hammond was discovered strangled in the couple's home in Histon, Cambridgeshire. Robert Hammond called emergency services, claiming he found his wife unresponsive, but a pathology report quickly uncovered the true circumstances and triggered an investigation.
Prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC revealed that Hammond had been lying and making excuses for months to delay payments to HMRC and a financial company, Legal and General, claiming a cancer diagnosis and a pending divorce.
Post-mortem revelations and insurance payoff
The post-mortem examination revealed that Sian Hammond had been strangled and had sustained other injuries. On the day of her murder, Hammond spoke with an agent from Legal and General about his debt and mentioned his wife’s recent death, suggesting that an insurance payout might expedite the debt repayment process. "Sian Hammond had been dead barely a week and this was the defendant's focus," stated Mr. Paxton, emphasising Hammond’s motive, driven by the impending life insurance payout.
Legal proceedings and verdict
Despite Hammond’s claims of innocence and assertions that he and his wife were happily married, the evidence presented in court told a different story. Detective Inspector Richard Stott described Hammond as a "competent liar" whose desperation to maintain his public standing and alleviate his financial burdens led him to murder his wife. Hammond's fixation on the life insurance money was a key element of the prosecution's case.
Community impact and sentencing
Hammond's conviction has left a profound impact on the small community of Histon in Cambridgeshire, with tributes pouring in for Sian Hammond. "Everyone that knew her would agree Sian was one of the friendliest people you could have the pleasure of meeting, and she will be sorely missed by many," her family said in a statement. Hammond is scheduled to be sentenced on July 23.
