An estate agent is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison after being found guilty of murdering his former partner.

61-year-old James Cartwright, who until his arrest had run a property management company in Exeter, was also a director of an industry compliance tech firm and at one point held a position on a Bank of England advisory committee.

He is to serve a minimum of 28 years in jail after being found guilty of murder and rape following a trial at Guildford Crown Court.

Cartwright was arrested in April last year after his former partner Samantha Mickleburgh was found dead in their hotel bedroom.

Although no longer in a relationship, the two had convened for a fine dining evening at Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot and she had booked a twin room for them to stay at on his birthday.

Fatal injuries

After feeling unwell in the hotel’s dining room, Mickleburgh was escorted to the bedroom by Cartwright, where the court heard he strangled and then raped her, although he maintained his innocence throughout the trial, providing no explanation for her fatal injuries, which included a fractured skull.

She had previously confided in friends that she found their relationship suffocating having said that, despite Cartwright moving out of her house a few weeks earlier, he had not accepted that the relationship was over, despite him moving in with a new partner.

Forensic evidence

“It was clear from the forensic evidence that Samantha had been murdered,” says Moses Koroma from the Crown Prosecution Service.

“She was strangled and had a significant head injury, and the jury saw straight through Cartwright’s claims that this had all resulted from her falling out of bed.

“As soon as he called 999, Cartwright started to weave his web of lies, telling police that Samantha had asked him to move back in and they were due to get married a few months later.”