Manipulative killer Donald Graham avoided justice for five years after the disappearance of his wealthy lover, Janet Brown, went un-investigated by Northumbria Police until a bank worker spotted fraudulent signatures on her account
The murder of a wealthy woman by her greedy playboy boyfriend is still shrouded in mystery as police are yet to find her body two decades after the crime.
Donald Graham murdered his well-off partner Janet Brown to get his hands on her money and even managed to fool detectives into believing she was still alive five years after taking her life – meaning cops failed to probe her disappearance until it was too late.
Eventually, the law caught up with Graham and he was jailed for life for Janet’s murder in what’s thought to be Northumbria Police’s only conviction without a body. Graham has repeatedly claimed to be innocent and he has feigned ignorance as to the manner of her death or the whereabouts of her body.
Yesterday marked two decades since Janet – a highly independent woman and beloved daughter who loved travelling and animals – vanished without a trace.
Campaigner Marie McCourt, 81, whose daughter’s death in Merseyside led to her fighting for the introduction of “Helen’s Law”, told Chronicle Live: “My heart goes out to Janet who, 20 years after being murdered, has still not been laid to rest. To take a life is heinous enough. But to then hide the body of a murder victim is such a cruel, callous, deliberate act that causes untold pain and distress to families.
“It was for this very reason that I fought so hard for Helen’s Law, which was introduced in 2021. I’d urge Janet’s killer to do the right thing. Tell police what you did with her so that she can be found, brought home and given the funeral she and her loved ones deserve.”
Janet came from a well-off family and had her own property development business, but she also did work on television as an extra and mystery shopper. The jetsetter loved being abroad and spent most of her free time solo travelling.
Janet had been in a relationship with married Graham for a number of years before she went missing and had been living with her elderly parents Olive and Eric Brown, who at Plane Trees Farm in Lowgate, near Hexham
She vanished in June 2005, but her disappearance was not discovered until 2010, when an eagled-eyed bank worker spotted something suspicious.
The employee alerted police after spotting signatures on documents relating to Janet’s bank accounts did not quite match-up. A fraud investigation was launched, which was passed on to Northumbria Police’s murder squad when no trace of Janet could be found.
By analysing Janet’s bank accounts detectives discovered that shortly before the last time anyone heard from her, on June 15, 2005, a large amount of money had been transferred to Graham, just days before the pair had been due to travel to France together on holiday.
The last confirmed contact anyone had with Janet was on June 15 when she spoke to a friend who had agreed to look after her dog while she was away.
Detectives believe Janet she was murdered sometime between June 15 and June 18, however it would be some time before anyone knew she was dead. When Janet failed to turn-up for work on June 28 police were asked to go to her home to check she was ok, detectives have previously told the Chronicle.
Her parents told officers they believed she had extended her holiday. With Janet gone Graham continued to plunder her bank accounts, while maintaining a pretence that she was still alive. He even wrote letters to her elderly parents pretending to be Janet and saying she had found a new job abroad. But when her parents died, in 2007 and 2008 Janet did not attend the funerals, even though Graham was at both.
Graham, then 60, was eventually arrested in April 2010.
Police carried out extensive searches of Janet’s parent’s house and Graham’s property in a bid to find her remains. Specially trained Cadaver dogs, search experts, and ground penetrating radar equipment was used. Yet to this day, how Janet died and where her body was hidden remains a mystery
Graham denied murder but was convicted after a trial at Newcastle Crown Court, in 2014. Jurors heard how after killing Janet Ferrari-driving Graham set about defrauding his victim and her family to the tune of more than £500,000 to fund his flashy lifestyle.
And during the trial it was revealed how he was eventually caught out. Janet’s parents had intended their estates should go to Guide Dogs for the Blind if their only daughter died before them, the court heard. And it was explained how Graham was caught out when a Skipton Building Society clerk spotted a signature which did not match that of Janet’s father.
Graham was posing as Mr Brown, a retired accountant, and was trying to shift money when the employee became suspicious and alerted the society’s national fraud department, who began writing to their customer who was now, unknown to them, dead.
Police were called in, and what started as a fraud investigation in 2009 turned into a murder hunt when officers became concerned about Janet’s disappearance.
It was said in court that Janet’s body may have been dumped in a deep pit or mine shaft by Graham, who had been a JCB digger driver in the past.
He was jailed for life with a minimum of 32 years, meaning he will be in his 90s before he can apply for parole. In 2021, following years of campaigning by Marie whose daughter Helen was murdered on Merseyside in 1988, new legislation was introduced meaning that murderers and paedophiles who hold back information on about their victims could face longer behind bars.
The Prisoners Disclosure of Information About Victims Act, known more commonly as ‘Helen’s Law’ places a legal duty on the Parole Board to consider the anguish caused by murderers who refuse to disclose the location of a victim’s body when considering them for release. The law means Graham could die behind bars if he does not reveal where Janet’s remains are.
Det Chief Insp Paul Woods, who worked on the Northumbria Police investigation into Janet’s murder has previously told how unique the case was. “These cases are extremely rare. My understanding is this is the only case Northumbria Police has had of somebody being convicted of murder when a body has not been found.
“It could have been the perfect murder, that no one would know had taken place.”