A quiet village was shaken at the end of 2007 when reclusive Sharon Birchwood was violently murdered for her money.

Sharon, 52, married her killer Graham Birchwood, 55, in 1977, and bought the bungalow where she was found dead, on Harriott’s Lane, Ashtead, in 1981.

They then divorced in 1989, but she continued living in the couple’s former house, and kept up a pretence to family and friends that they were still married.

Birchwood visited her regularly and kept business documents at her place, even though following the divorce he married his secretary, Catherine Kang, and had two children with her.

According to Sharon’s family, she “doted” on her ex-husband, loved him “unconditionally” called him her “soul mate” and might have agreed on the divorce because it could be financially beneficial for them. She also made him the sole beneficiary of her will.

After divorcing Sharon, Birchwood engaged in various business enterprises in Thailand with little success, becoming heavily in debt, but still regularly visited Bangkok.

By 2007, Birchwood’s second marriage ended and he moved into his mother’s house in Banstead. His financial circumstances were dire, as he had loans and debts amounting to over £150,000 and his only income were state benefits.

He was struggling to pay the mortgage on a flat in Stevens Close, in Epsom, where his father was living. If a repossession order was enforced, it would result in him losing the flat and making his father homeless.

According to Surrey Police, Birchwood had not worked for a very long time, was threatened with bankruptcy and his only hope was to find enough money to clear his debts and start over again.

He is believed to have hired a hitman to kill Mrs Birchwood and the plot was described by the investigating officer in the case, DCI Maria Woodall, as “ruthless” and the decision to kill her “callous.”

In December 2007, Sharon was found trussed up, bound and gagged with parcel tape and electrical wire.

She had been strangled.

A month after her murder, the local community showed an unprecedented support for police. More than 140 Ashtead Residents' Association road stewards took to the streets to help track down her killer, by delivering leaflets with Mrs Birchwood’s picture, calling for information.

DNA from Birchwood’s business associate Paul Cryne, who is currently in Thailand, was found at the scene. Police is now seeking to extradite him in connection with the case.

In the 15 to 20 years before her death, Mrs Birchwood had stopped working, after falling ill with ME. Before that, she had had a number of jobs, including working for Cancer Research and for local councils.

She was however able to go out shopping regularly in Ashtead and Leatherhead, using local buses and trains and became quite well known in the area, where she was often spotted walking with a stick.

The body of Mrs Birchwood was laid to rest in woodland near Guildford in January 2008. She had planned her own funeral some time before she died.

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