This episode of How I Caught the Killer, airing on Sky Crime, looks into the disturbing case of Malcolm Webster, who was convicted of killing his first wife and attempting to murder his second. Seventeen years after his wife’s death in a car accident, Webster became the focus of Scotland’s lengthiest criminal trial.
The episode details the intricate scheme that Webster, an Englishman born in 1959, orchestrated. The year was 1994 when Webster first came under suspicion in Scotland for the murder of his wife, Claire Morris, in Aberdeenshire. Initially, the incident was believed to be a tragic accident, but a deeper investigation revealed a sinister truth.
Authorities uncovered a sophisticated web of deception, exposing Webster’s staging of the car crash to fraudulently claim life insurance money. This was not an isolated incident, as he was also wanted by New Zealand police for a similar offence involving his second wife, Felicity Drumm.
The media heavily followed the trial, which resulted in Webster being found guilty of murder and attempted murder. The jury needed less than four hours to reach their verdict, convinced by the weight of the evidence.
Psychological assessments played a pivotal role in understanding Webster’s behaviour, with Dr Gary Macpherson, a consultant forensic clinical psychologist, diagnosing him with narcissistic personality disorder. This diagnosis shed light on Webster’s need for admiration and lack of empathy. Additionally, a police profiler labelled Webster a sociopath.
The Webster case has also been dramatised in the ITV mini-series, ‘The Widower’, which aired in 2014 and provided a detailed examination of his crimes.
An intriguing aspect of this story is Webster’s family background. His father, Alexander Robertson Webster, held a high-ranking position as a Detective Chief Superintendent in the Metropolitan Police’s Fraud Squad.
How I Caught the Killer: The Widower – Malcolm Webster airs Tuesday, 3 September 2024, on Sky Crime.
