Mother-of-two ‘raped and murdered by controlling and coercive ex-fiance’ after she agreed to celebrate his 60th birthday at luxury five-star hotel

A ‘controlling and coercive’ man murdered his ex-fiancee after she arranged to celebrate his 60th birthday with him at a luxury hotel, a court heard.

Samantha Mickleburgh was found dead at the five-star Pennyhill Park Hotel on the morning of April 14 last year.

The 54-year-old mother of two had arranged to stay in a twin room with ex-fiance James Cartwright the night prior as she ‘didn’t want him to feel lonely’ on his birthday, a jury was told.

Cartwright, 61, of no fixed address, is accused of raping and murdering Ms Mickleburgh. 

He also denies one count of controlling and coercive behaviour between May 1, 2022, and April 14, 2024.

Opening the trial yesterday at Guildford Crown Court in Surrey, prosecutor Louise Oakley told jurors Ms Mickleburgh had ended her relationship with Cartwright in February 2024.

‘She didn’t wish him any ill, but she no longer wanted to live with him and no longer wanted to be in a relationship with him,’ Ms Oakley said.

‘But part of her also felt bad for him, believing that he had no one else to spend that day with. 

James Cartwright is accused of murdering ex-fiancee Samantha Mickleburgh in April last year

Pictured: The five-star Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot, Surrey where Ms Mickleburgh was found dead

A post-mortem examination of Ms Mickleburgh’s body revealed evidence of ‘a significant head injury’

‘As a result, she arranged a celebratory meal and stay at Penny Hill Park and Spa and in a final act of selflessness, she honoured that commitment despite telling friends and family the relationship was over.’

Cartwright called 999 at 8.30am on April 14 claiming he had found Ms Mickleburgh’s lifeless body next to him in bed at the hotel in Bagshot, jurors were told.

‘That was a lie,’ Ms Oakley said. ‘He had most likely killed her in the early hours, with his own bare hands applying manual pressure around her neck, extinguishing her life.’

A post-mortem examination of Ms Mickleburgh’s body revealed evidence of ‘a significant head injury’ as well as fractures to bones in her neck consistent with an act of strangulation, jurors were told.

‘There were only two people in this room – and she couldn’t have and didn’t strangle herself,’ Ms Oakley said.

Ms Mickleburgh and Cartwright attended the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant The Latymer on the evening of April 13 for a six-course tasting menu, jurors heard. 

But Ms Mickleburgh began to feel unwell, with staff noticing she ‘looked more and more sleepy and at points her eyes were closed and she looked like she was sleeping’, the prosecution said.

At 10.30pm, the pair left the restaurant and were seen on CCTV walking to their room.

Cartwright (pictured) called 999 at 8.30am on April 14 claiming he had found Ms Mickleburgh’s lifeless body next to him in bed at the hotel in Bagshot, jurors were told

Opening the trial yesterday at Guildford Crown Court in Surrey, prosecutor Louise Oakley told jurors Ms Mickleburgh had ended her relationship with Cartwright in February 2024

‘This is the last time Samantha Mickleburgh was seen alive,’ Ms Oakley told the court. 

In his interview with Surrey Police following his arrest on April 19 last year, Cartwright said Ms Mickleburgh had become unwell during the dinner, but that she ‘perked up’ on the way back to their room. 

He then told police they had consensual sex before ‘falling asleep in each other’s arms’, the prosecution said.

Ms Mickleburgh’s son Alexander told the court she felt ‘uncomfortable’ about the trip with Cartwright. 

He said he last spoke to his mother, from Axminster, Devon, on the morning of April 13.

Asked whether the pair discussed the trip with Cartwright, Mr Mickleburgh told jurors: ‘She said ‘I made a promise and so I have to stick by it’. 

‘But she was uncomfortable. She made it clear this was the last time she was going to see him.’ 

Mr Mickleburgh, who lived with his mother and Cartwright for a while in 2023, described the defendant’s behaviour around his mother as ‘poor, pathetic and needy’.

Ms Mickleburgh’s daughter Jessica also told jurors the defendant made her mother feel guilty when she expressed reluctance to celebrate his 60th birthday with him.

Visibly upset, she told the court: ‘He sent her a lot of messages calling her cruel for not wanting to spend that time with him.’

The court heard the relationship between Cartwright and Ms Mickleburgh, which began in the summer of 2022, was a ‘whirlwind’ and they got engaged in September 2023. 

But after their break-up, Cartwright continued to pursue Ms Mickleburgh, Ms Oakley said.

She added: ‘He had started to lose control of his relationship with Samantha because of his own controlling and coercive ways.’

The trial continues.