A burglary gone wrong hid a dark truth After a man was killed with a hockey stick, his family was ripped apart.
Police investigated Paul and Lesley, his wife. Neighbors mentioned a fireman who visited Lesley secretly, creating a love triangle. The couple had triplets, age five. Jonathan, one of them, spoke out, remembering his father’s death. As a child, Jonathan thought his dad would return, but later learned this would not happen. Life felt different for his family, and he could not understand hurting others.
The BBC has a new documentary called The Crime I Can’t Forget. The show explores this crime. Paul’s body shocked the police. The forensic scientist described a horrific scene: blood was all over the room, with bits of his brain on the floor. Police wanted to know what happened.
Lesley had an affair with Gordon Graham, an ex-firefighter, who wrote love notes to her. Police wondered how the killer knew Paul, who had no criminal history. The scene looked like a break-in. DNA from the hockey stick was not clear. A neighbor heard the struggle between 9:00 and 9:09 AM.
Lesley said Paul took the day off and they planned a weekend trip. They dropped their kids at school, then Lesley went to see her parents alone. Police found this suspicious; why leave valuables behind if it was a real burglary? Forensics found something else unusual: the glass was scored before it broke, indicating someone staged the crime scene.
Neighbors told the police about Gordon Graham, the fireman who visited when Paul was at work. He was a fire service officer. Gordon and Lesley had an affair and were once caught undressed. Lesley was questioned again by the police. She admitted the affair but said it ended May 1st.
Paul overheard a conversation. They argued, then agreed to stay together. Paul told Gordon it was over. Police thought this angered Gordon, and that the love affair was the motive. Gordon provided an alibi, saying he walked down a street. Computer data backed part of his alibi, but where was he at 9:00 AM?
Gordon said he walked on a busy street, but CCTV cameras did not show him there. Police broke his alibi. Glass from the crime scene was on his shirt. Items were placed on blood spatters, proving the staging. Only Lesley knew Paul was home. She set up the ambush.
Lesley and Gordon were arrested in June. Jonathan said his mom claimed innocence, telling him grandparents would care for him and that she would return later. The joint trial started in 2002. Both pleaded not guilty. Love letters revealed their bond. Gordon wrote about hating Paul and wanting him out of the picture. DNA proved he owned the sports bag. He was found guilty.
The jury could not decide about Lesley, and she had a second trial. She said she hated Gordon and felt guilty for Paul’s death. The jury found her guilty, and she was sentenced to life. Lesley appealed the verdict, claiming a judge misdirected the jury.
She had a third trial in 2004 and was found not guilty. She went home a free woman. Jonathan said she stayed positive, but prison was terrifying, she said. He was happy when she was released.
Lesley returned to the community, but people saw her as a murderer. Jonathan turned to drugs and alcohol. They were very poor while growing up, and he felt depressed and angry. He got sober eventually. Lesley remarried and moved away with Jeremy Burke. Gordon Graham was released in 2021.
Jonathan visits his father’s grave. He knows his dad would want him to live. He says, “Life is worth living.”