Woman cleared of murder withdraws offer of reward
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Your support makes all the difference.THE WIDOW of a millionaire businessman, who was cleared of his murder at the Old Bailey last Monday, has withdrawn a pounds 30,000 reward to find the gunman who killed him.
There were bitter recriminations between police and prosecution lawyers when the Crown Prosecution Service dropped charges against Linda Watson, 44, and her daughter, Amanda London-Williams, 23, over the murder of Richard Watson. The court heard that the officer in charge of the investigation was "appalled" at the decision.
But Detective Inspector Nick Siggs stressed outside the court that a reward of pounds 50,000 could help them track down the gunman who shot dead her husband, 55, in the grounds of his home at East Grinstead, West Sussex.
But within 24 hours of being declared not guilty, which prevents mother and daughter ever being charged with the murder again, Mrs Watson revealed that she intended to withdraw her part of the reward.
Her lawyers are understood to have told the authorities that their client had no confidence in the way Sussex police had conducted the case. Mrs Watson and Ms London-Williams sold their story to the Mirror newspaper where, in yesterday's issue, they accused the police of smearing them.
The rest of the pounds 50,000 reward - pounds 10,000 from Mr Watson's son Julian, and pounds 10,000 from the Sussex police - remains on offer.
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