Norman Heaton, who was serving a life sentence for murdering his wife Jacqueline Heaton by strangling her with a washing line, has died in prison. Heaton, 66, passed away from bronchopneumonia at HMP Full Sutton in November last year, according to Chronicle Live. An inquest determined his death was due to natural causes.
Murder in South Shields
Heaton killed his wife Jacqueline, a 32-year-old mother of three, in May 2001 in South Shields, Tyneside. He bound her to a bed, coiled a washing line around her neck, and yanked it, claiming he intended to render her unconscious to incite sexual arousal. After her death, he concealed her body beneath some stairs.
Heaton maintained that his wife died when their sex game went wrong. However, a jury at Newcastle Crown Court concluded that he continued to tighten the cord with the intent to kill her. At the time, the couple's marriage was failing, and they had planned to separate. The court heard that Heaton could not bear the thought of Jacqueline leaving him.
Life Sentence and Prison Death
Heaton was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years. An inquiry by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman found that the prison provided a commendable standard of care to Heaton, equivalent to what he could have expected in the community.
Heaton's death occurred in November 2023, and the news was reported by the Mirror and Chronicle Live. He died of bronchopneumonia, a lung infection, which was deemed natural causes.
