Susan Barber

Background

Susan Barber married Michael Barber in 1970. Susan was 17 years old and had a daughter from a previous relationship; Michael thought the six-month-old daughter was his. The couple lived in a pre-war terraced house in Osborne Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.

Michael was a 24-year-old unskilled worker. He had been in trouble with the police in the past for car-theft and traffic offences. In 1972 he was again in trouble for indecently assaulting his six-year-old niece.

By 1980 the Barbers family had grown to three children. Susan had been involved with 15-year-old Richard Collins, who lived three doors away since a few weeks after the marriage. The affair involved Richard going into the Barbers’ bed after Michael left for work at 5am, with Richard joining Susan while the bed was still warm.

The offence

On Saturday 31 March 1981 Michael left home at 4am to go on a fishing trip with friends in the Thames estuary. Due to a high wind, the trip was cancelled. Michael returned home and found his place in bed with his wife, Susan, kept warm by Richard Collins. Michael turned violent and hit them both.

The following Tuesday Susan and Michael went to their local doctor’s surgery, where Susan wanted treatment for a bruise on her ear where Michael had hit her. The doctor offered to help resolve their marital difficulties, and Susan expressed a willingness to patch things up. Susan stayed in touch with Richard secretly by letter, without cutting Richard out of her life.

On Thursday 4 June 1981 Michael complained of a severe headache. The next day the headache persisted and was accompanied by stomach pains and nausea. By Saturday he was so ill he called a doctor, who put him on a course of antibiotics. By Monday Michael had breathing difficulties and was admitted to Southend General Hospital, placed in intensive care. On Wednesday 17 June he was transferred to Hammersmith Hospital with a severe kidney condition.

The question of paraquat poisoning was raised when no specific infection could be identified. Instructions were given for blood and urine samples to be taken and sent to the National Poisons Reference Centre for analysis. A mix-up led to an understanding that negative results had been received back, and Michael died on 27 June. A post-mortem was carried out by Professor David Evans, who was informed that tests had disproved the paraquat poisoning theory, and judgement was reserved until histology slides became available. Michael’s body was cremated at Southend on July 3.

That very same night Richard moved in with Susan. Their relationship continued, and Susan received a death benefit and pension payments after Michael’s death. In September Professor Evans received the histology slides, which indicated Michael had ingested a toxic substance, probably paraquat. Further investigation found that Michael’s file did not hold the results of the earlier blood analysis and that it appeared the earlier blood analysis had never actually been carried out. Tissue samples were recovered and sent to ICI, and serum samples were sent to the National Poisons Unit, which confirmed the presence of paraquat.

Susan Barber was arrested nine months after Michael’s death at her home, and Richard Collins was arrested the same day.

At trial in Chelmsford Crown Court, Susan Barber was charged with murder, conspiracy to murder, and administering poison with intent to injure. Richard Collins was charged with conspiracy to murder. Both pleaded not guilty.

Susan Barber admitted putting the poison on her husband’s food but maintained that she did not want to kill him, and that she only wanted to make him ill so that she could get away without him coming after her. She admitted placing Gromoxone (a weed-killer) into her husband’s meal of steak and kidney pie, and when nothing happened immediately she gave him another dose. When Michael was prescribed medicine for a sore throat, she gave him some more poison in the medicine. She said she had found the Gromoxone in the garden shed where her husband had stored it after working for a landscape gardening company.

Richard Collins admitted that he had been told by Susan of her intention to murder her husband. He also recalled being present when the two of them returned from Hammersmith Hospital when Susan, after being asked by medical staff about poison, poured the contents of her husband’s medicine bottle down the kitchen sink. He also revealed Susan had asked him to cut the hydraulic brake lines on Michael’s car. At trial, Susan claimed she just wanted to make him ill, and Richard’s evidence included that Susan suggested he fix the brakes so Michael might meet with a fatal accident, and that he talked Susan out of that scheme.

Both were found guilty.

Investigation

In September histology slides received by Professor Evans indicated ingestion of a toxic substance, probably paraquat, in contrast to earlier results. It was discovered that Barber’s file did not contain the results of earlier blood analysis and that it appeared the earlier examination had never been carried out. Tissue samples were quickly recovered from the mortuary and sent to ICI, the manufacturers of the paraquat, and serum samples were sent to the National Poisons Unit. The results confirmed the presence of paraquat.

A consultant at the Royal Post Graduate Medical School forwarded a letter to the Southend Coroner and local police informing them that Michael Barber died painfully from a deadly poison.

Detective Chief Inspector John Clarion of the Essex Police took charge of the case. The investigation required researching the history of Michael’s illness and interviewing everyone concerned, including doctors, nurses, analysts, laboratory technicians and porters, and repeating scientific tests due to delays and errors.

Professor James Cameron looked at all the evidence and made a forensic judgement of the histology samples, agreeing with the conclusions of previous experts that it was a clear case of murder.

Arrest

Susan Barber was arrested at her home, and Richard Collins was arrested the same day.

The arrest occurred nine months after Michael’s death.

Trial

Their trial at Chelmsford Crown Court began on November 1, 1982.

Susan Barber was charged with murder, conspiracy to murder, and of administering poison with intent to injure.

Both pleaded not guilty.

Susan Barber admitted putting the poison on her husband’s food but said she did not want to kill him and only wanted to make him ill so she could get away without him coming after her. At sentencing and in her account to police, she described Gromoxone (weed-killer) being put into her husband’s steak and kidney pie and later into his sore throat medicine after he developed breathing problems and was treated by doctors.

The court found both guilty.

Sentencing

Susan Barber received a sentence of life imprisonment. Richard Collins received two years’ imprisonment.

The judge sentenced Susan to life imprisonment for the murder of Michael Barber and Richard to two years for conspiracy to murder.

Outcome

Susan Barber was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. Richard Collins was found guilty and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

Other details

Michael Barber’s death occurred on 27 June. The death certificate gave the cause of death as cardiac arrest, renal (kidney) failure and bilateral pneumonia. Professor David Evans supervised a post-mortem and the major organs were removed. Major organs were preserved, and the pathologists reserved judgement until histology slides became available. Michael was cremated at Southend on July 3.

Michael Barber’s wife Susan received a death benefit and pension payments after Michael’s death. Her employers agreed she should have a £15,000 death benefit plus £3,300 per annum for each child; she received these in October. Another account described she received £15,000 in death benefit plus a refund of pension contributions for each of her three children.

Richard Collins attended the cremation with Mrs Barber and was seen crying when the mourners went back to Osborne Road where Susan served food and drinks. Richard moved in with Susan that night and they were together for six weeks. Susan later met another man at their regular “boozer” and Richard was ordered out.

Susan bought a CB radio and used the call-sign “Nympho”. She became well known on local airwaves and was involved in regular drink and sex gatherings.

A remark during sentencing included:

“I cannot think of a more evil way of disposing of a human being.”

The prior arrest and trial details also included mention that in September Professor Evans had received the histology slides and that a doctor preparing material for a conference noticed that samples had never been sent to the National Poisons Unit as instructed, leading to tissue samples being recovered and re-tested.