Surrey escort worker jailed for manslaughter

15/10/2012

A Surrey escort worker has been given a three-year prison sentence for the manslaughter of 69-year-old Winston Fernandez at his home in Epsom.

Following a two week trial at Guildford Crown Court, Russian national Natalia Woolley, 38, of Baron's Court Road, West Kensington, London, was today (Monday, 15 October) convicted of killing the retired accountant at his home in Longdown Lane North, Epsom, on 16 January this year.

Mr Fernandez's body was found in a bedroom at the address on 13 February. A murder enquiry was launched after a post mortem established that Mr Fernandez had died from multiple injuries and his body had been in situ at the property for some time before it was discovered.

Police officers building up a picture of Mr Fernandez's lifestyle found that he had been using escort agencies in the months leading up to his death and that he may have been visited by a number of women at his home.

Mr Fernandez had two landline phone numbers registered to his address, the lines for which had both been cut. The last call made from these phones was at just after midnight on 17 January to a mobile number identified as belonging to Woolley.

Woolley was arrested on 2 April and in interview admitted that she had been to Mr Fernandez's address on 16 January. She said she been involved in a physical altercation with him and was not sure whether he was still alive when she left the house. She told officers she had used Mr Fernandez's landline phones to call and find her mobile phone and admitted cutting the phone cords which she claimed was to stop Mr Fernandez from calling her again.

Enquiries into Woolley's movements following Mr Fernandez's death found that she made a call from a new phone number to her mobile phone provider to try and find out whether they had the technology to be able to track the location of her phone. This new phone was also used to make repeated calls to both the landline phone numbers at Mr Fernandez's address.

Woolley visited the Longdown Lane address with a friend on 22 January and disclosed to other friends that she had a problem with a client, including one conversation in which she said she had killed someone. Woolley later asked those she had contacted to delete all her messages.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Raymer, of Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, said: "This was a brutal attack on a retired man in his own home. It was a number of weeks until his body was found and during this period Woolley made no attempt to contact the police or seek medical help for Mr Fernandez. Instead she tried to cover her tracks by deleting messages and changing her phone number.

"However, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the investigation team who carried out extensive enquiries to build up a picture of Mr Fernandez's lifestyle, Woolley was identified and has now been convicted."

Nigel Knight, Senior District Crown Prosecutor for CPS South East said: "During the trial the prosecution case highlighted how the defendant left Mr Fernandez, a vulnerable individual, for dead, having subjected him to severe injuries in a sustained attack. Today, the jury has found Natalia Woolley guilty of manslaughter, a conviction that brings some sense of justice following such a heartless crime."

Winston Fernandez's sons, Paul and Keith, have issued the following statement on behalf of the Fernandez family:

"We are grateful that justice has been done. We would like to thank family and friends for their support since the news of our father's death. We would also like to thank the investigation team of Surrey and Sussex Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for all their effort and hard work in bringing about this case. This is the only statement we will be making and would now appreciate if our privacy is respected."