Royal aide's text message alibi in murder case

The ex-Royal aide at the centre of a murder case sent SMS messages after she had killed her fiancee in order to set up an alibi, the Old Bailey heard yesterday.

As the days passed, however, Jane Andrews became more and more desperate before sending a message saying she wanted to die in peace. She was found hours later by police in a layby near Plymouth, having taken a painkiller overdose.

After the first day of the trial, we reported that the discovery of emails to and from her fiancee Thomas Cressman to an American woman in Las Vegas caused a huge row between the two. She demanded that Mr Cressman marry her, but when he refused, she beat him unconscious with a cricket bat and thrust an eight-inch knife into his chest, the prosecuting QC Bruce Holden claimed.

The prosecution continued its attack on Ms Andrews yesterday, saying that she had attempted to make it look as though she had fled in terror but in reality she had written two notes after the attack and attempted to clean up. She then drove to Penzance in her VW Golf.

Over the next few days she sent various text messages to friends and her ex-husband, claiming no knowledge of Mr Cressman's death. "Tommy hasn't called me. Why?" said one. Others included: "What's wrong? All the Press want me", "I left him on Saturday afternoon. He was OK when I left", "I just heard on the radio Tommy has been murdered. I cannot believe it. I'm dying inside. My heart is broken."

A close friend of Ms Andrews urged her to go to the police but she texted "The cops will never believe me. I wouldn't have hurt him ever." Eventually, she texted "I will not be locked up. I must die and be at peace".

Andrews is pleading not guilty to murder. The case continues. ®

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