A man is accused of raping and murdering his ex-fiance in a five-star luxury hotel. A court heard how businesswoman Samantha Mickleburgh, 54, arranged to stay in a twin room with 61-year-old James Cartwright for his 60th birthday as she “didn’t want him to feel lonely”.
The mother-of-two was found dead at the Pennyhill Park Hotel, in Bagshot, Surrey, on April 14 last year. Prosecutor Louise Oakley told the jury at Guildford Crown Court that Ms Mickleburgh had ended her relationship with Cartwright, of no fixed address, just two months prior. He is accused of raping and murdering Ms Mickleburgh, from Axminster, Devon, and denies one count of controlling and coercive behaviour between May 1, 2022, and April 14, 2024.
Ms Oakley said: “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. But part of her also felt bad for him, believing that he had no one else to spend that day with.
“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.”
Ms Mickleburgh and Cartwright attended the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant on April 13. However, Ms Mickleburgh began to feel unwell and the pair returned to their room at 10.30pm.
Ms Oakley told the court that this was the “last time Samantha Mickleburgh was seen alive”. Cartwright called 999 at 8.30am the following morning and claimed he had found her lifeless body next to him in bed at the hotel.
Ms Oakley said: “That was a lie. 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 showed evidence that the 54-year-old suffered a “significant head injury”. She also had fractures in her neck consistent with strangulation.
Cartwright claimed in his police interview that Ms Mickleburgh fell unwell during the dinner but the pair had consensual sex when they got back to their room. They then “fell asleep in each other’s arms”.
Ms Mickleburgh’s son, Alexander, said he last spoke to his mother on the morning of April 13. However, her trip away with Cartwright made her feel “uncomfortable”.
He told the court: “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.”
Meanwhile, Ms Mickleburgh’s daughter, Jessica, told the court: “He sent her a lot of messages calling her cruel for not wanting to spend that time with him.”
The trial continues.
