Fiancé accused of Helen Bailey murder weeps in dock telling jury he ‘never stopped loving’ the children’s author
A MAN accused of murdering his fiancée, children’s author Helen Bailey, wept yesterday as he told jurors: “I never stopped loving her.”
Ian Stewart, 56, denies drugging the writer and dumping her body with the family dog in a cesspit at their £1.5million home.
He told the court that the couple had called the day they fell for one another “fruit case Friday”.
The pair had initially been friends after meeting in an online group for widows and widowers.
But after their relationship became more flirtatious, he drove to her house in Royston, Herts, unannounced.
Stewart told the court: “We both flew into each other’s arms.
"That night became referred to as ‘fruit case Friday’ because I was a nutter for driving up there and she was a nutter for letting an unknown man in her house.”
The Cambridge-educated software engineer also revealed the couple had quickly fallen in love.
He added: “She warned me once never say the L-word.
"About a week later I said the L-word.
“I said, ‘I love you’ and she replied instantly, ‘I love you too’. I never stopped loving her, no.”
Helen, 51, went missing last April.
Her remains were not found until July.
Stewart told St Albans crown court there was “no way” he killed Helen to get his hands on her £4million fortune.
It is claimed he was drugging her with the sleeping pill Zopiclone, traces of which were found in her body.
He was said to have bombarded Helen with text messages after she disappeared, begging for her return.
Payments from her bank account were set up at her home on the day she was allegedly murdered, jurors heard.
Stewart denies charges including murder and perverting the course of justice.
Trial continues.