New Sky documentary tells story of Black Widow killer who murdered Hayling Island husband with poisoned curry
A new Sky documentary will tell the story of a notorious female killer dubbed The Black Widow, who murdered her Hayling Island husband with a poisoned curry on his birthday.
Dena Thompson was jailed for life in 2003 after she was convicted of killing her second husband, Julian Webb, at their home in Yapton, Sussex, on his 31st birthday in June 1994.
Julian worked as an advertisement sales executive for the West Sussex Gazette newspaper – part of The News’ sister publication Sussex World – in Arundel when he met Dena in the 1990s. They were 'married' at Chichester registry office with the reception at her Yapton home. Concerns about his death were raised to the police by staff of the West Sussex Gazette.
Described by police as a ‘dangerous woman’ and ‘every man’s nightmare’, confidence trickster Thompson – of Cullompton, Devon – had a history of conning men out of money.
Thompson served time for defrauding her two surviving husbands, and was cleared of trying to kill her third husband with a bat and a knife, claiming she was fearful for her life during a bondage session gone wrong. Officers said she had targeted men ‘sexually, financially and physically’ for a decade.
The truth of her crimes only emerged seven years after the murder when Thompson’s husband’s body was exhumed from a family plot in Hayling Island. This came after Thompson was acquitted of the attempted murder of her third husband. Thompson was jailed for life in 2003 but was released in 2022.
The killer, who walked free from prison two years ago, will be the subject of a new three-part Sky documentary series. It follows a short documentary previously aired by Shots TV and The News on the devious murderer.
The Sky documentary features former police officer and current West Sussex county councillor Sean McDonald – who was a major part of the investigation team.
Mr McDonald said: “This story is important and needs to be told. It shows coercive and controlling behaviour on an extreme scale. Dena was clearly a very dangerous woman. She married three times. She drove the first husband mad by saying he had to go on the run. He had to go into hiding. He thought the Mafia was after him. She married her second husband bigamously – Julian Webb. She murdered him in 1994 but there were initially no charges after the investigation."
Thompson lived in Goring, Yapton and Rustington and the story covers her manipulation of three husbands – beginning in the 1990s – and her eventual conviction for the murder of her second husband.
A Sky spokesperson said: “Black Widow follows the decade-long police investigation into Dena Thompson.
"Over 20 years, Dena who was known as ‘The Black Widow’, carried out a sustained campaign of fraud, deception, bigamy and murder.
"Using Lonely Hearts columns to lure a succession of husbands and dozens of lovers into her life, she was able to coerce them into giving up their life’s savings, their homes, their families and their freedom based on her bizarre but convincing stories.
"Dena was finally caught in 2003 and convicted for murder, but after 19 years behind bars, she has been released from prison, and her victims are still struggling to understand what happened to them.
"This three times 60 minute series includes first-hand testimony from those affected, with exclusive access to her first husband - who ended up homeless believing he was on the run from the mafia.”
The Black Widow is on Sky Documentaries (Channel 121 on Sky) on Sunday (September 15) at 9pm.
Watch The Black Widow of Hayling Island attached or go here.
Watch here on Shotstv.com.