Carol Morgan: How a love affair led to a murderous plot

carol-morgan:-how-a-love-affair-led-to-a-murderous-plot
Carol Morgan: How a love affair led to a murderous plot

In 1979, Carol Morgan was murdered in the convenience store that she ran with her husband, Allen Morgan, in Linslade, Bedfordshire. Despite regular reviews by the police, the murder remained unsolved for over four decades. However, in 2018, Det Supt Carl Foster took over as the head of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire cold case review team and decided to revisit all witnesses. One witness, Jane Bunting, who was then aged 17, told officers that while at the former Dolphin pub in Leighton Buzzard, Morgan asked her whether an ex-boyfriend would know anyone who could kill Carol.

By the time of this fresh investigation, the couple had married and settled down in Brighton. Police, who had about 6,000 documents to trawl through, secretly recorded conversations when they arrested the pair for the third time. Margaret Morgan was heard to say “Shush”, indicating she thought they were being taped. In a letter Allen wrote to Margaret that same year, he said: “Trust works on both side. If I didn’t trust you, you wouldn’t be here and I would not.” The couple were charged last year, and underwent a two-month trial at Luton Crown Court. Morgan, now 73, faces a lengthy prison term after being convicted of conspiracy to murder. Margaret Morgan was found not guilty of the same charge.

“The original investigation was aware very quickly that Allen Morgan was suspected of having an affair,” says Det Supt Carl Foster. Officers spoke with Morgan and the woman he was having an affair with, who was then called Margaret Spooner. “It would be fair to say that the original investigation team had their concerns and suspicions about Allen and Margaret but of course, Allen Morgan had a concrete alibi.”

Det Supt Foster, who came out of retirement to finish the case, added: “In the absence of a confession, we may never know who carried out the physical act of murdering Carol. However, we will do all in our power to secure new evidence and bring them to justice.” The killer, who has never been caught, used an axe or machete to attack Carol

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