Bio

Heather Arnold was born in 1936.

She trained and worked as a mathematics teacher. She taught at Kingsdown Comprehensive School in Warminster. In the mid-1980s she was about fifty years old.

Her marriage later broke up. After that, two of her colleagues, Paul Sutcliffe and his wife Jeanne, tried to help her cope.

She was described by professionals as highly intelligent and articulate. She had experienced periods of depression and at one time received treatment at Ravenscroft.

Murder Story

Heather Arnold was born in 1936. She was convicted of killing two people on April 30, 1986, in Westbury, Wiltshire. The victims were Jeanne Sutcliffe, 39, and her eight-month-old daughter, Heidi. She was arrested the same day.

Heather Arnold and Paul Sutcliffe were both teachers at Kingsdown Comprehensive School in Warminster. After the killings, Paul Sutcliffe returned home from work and found Jeanne Sutcliffe and their baby dead.

Police investigated and thought the weapon might be put in the household rubbish. Four undercover detectives worked as dustmen. When they emptied Mrs Arnold’s bins they were given a white carrier bag. Inside they found three charred pieces of an axe handle.

According to police, Mrs Arnold confessed after her arrest but later withdrew the statement on the advice of her solicitor. At her trial, which began on April 1, 1987, she said she had found the axe in her garage, had panicked, and had chopped up the handle to try to get rid of it. The axe head was found in her possession. Forensic tests showed flakes of red paint from the axe both on Jeanne Sutcliffe and in Heather Arnold’s car.

The jury did not accept her account. After more than seven hours of deliberation, they returned a unanimous guilty verdict on two counts of murder on April 15, 1987. She was sentenced to life imprisonment on April 16, 1987.

Heather Arnold was later committed to Broadmoor Hospital. She admitted to psychiatrists that she “hated” Mrs Sutcliffe and said she had killed her because she wanted to be closer to Paul Sutcliffe. A consultant psychiatrist in 1993 recommended an appeal on the grounds of diminished responsibility. The Court of Appeal heard the case but dismissed the appeal in February 1996. The judges noted that psychological tests before the trial found no relevant abnormality and that the defence had not used diminished responsibility at trial.