Debt-ridden husband who murdered wife before spinning chilling web of lies to cash in on £450k life insurance is jailed
A DEBT-ridden husband who murdered his wife before spinning a chilling web of lies to cash in on her £450,000 life insurance has been jailed.
Robert Hammond, 47, strangled mum-of-two Sian, 46, at their home in Histon, Cambridgeshire.
He then put on a haunting “act” as he sought to cover his tracks after amassing more than £300,000 in debt.
Hammond has now been jailed for life with a minimum of 24 years after being convicted of murder.
Cambridge Crown Court was told the horror unfolded on October 29 last year when the killer brutally murdered his wife.
He then called emergency services at around 2am to claim he had found Sian “face down on the bed”.
In a chilling 999 audio call released by police, Hammond added: “I’m going to flip her over now. She never sleeps on her front – she’s not moving at all.
“I’m calling ‘”‘Sian, Sian, Sian’, I’m turning her over now. No she’s not [breathing].”
The evil killer then cried fake tears as he continued: “Oh no Sian. I’m going to try and resuscitate her.”
Hammond was even praised for “doing amazingly” and giving Sian the “best chance” as he was told how to carry out CPR.
But in reality, Sian was already dead – with a paramedic later revealing Hammond made no such attempt to save his wife.
The monster had actually strangled Sian before immediately hatching a false narrative to throw police off while he played the “grieving husband”.
He claimed he had sex with Sian, showered then went downstairs at about midnight while his wife stayed upstairs to sleep.
But Hammond was actually snared by a post mortem that proved the mum had been strangled.
A fitness device also revealed a “spike” in his heart rate between 11.56pm and 12.19am.
The data then stopped recording – suggesting the equipment had been taken off.
Prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC said this data “suggested the defendant was involved in some sustained physical activity at a time he claimed to be on the sofa watching television”.
At the time of her death, he ran a business called Hammond Mortgage Services that was in around £300,000 of debt.
Around £200,000 of this was to Legal and General, with Hammond telling an agent to call him on the day of his wife’s death “suggesting something may have changed by then”.
When the agent called back on October 30, he told her his wife had died that morning and “even though they were divorcing she was the mother of his children”.
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Hammond spoke to the agent again on November 3 and asked if he could pay the debt off quicker as he would be receiving life insurance and whether the firm could review the interest payments.
Mr Paxton added: “Sian Hammond had been dead barely a week and this was the defendant’s focus.”
Hammond paid his wife’s life insurance policy, also with Legal and General, up to date on October 26 to ensure he would benefit.
Sian’s family previously said: “Everyone that knew her would agree Sian was one of the friendliest people you could have the pleasure of meeting.
“She will be sorely missed by many.”
