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When Derek Fleming was diagnosed with terminal cancer he feared for his vulnerable teenage daughter Margaret, who had learning difficulties. But believed he had found the perfect solution when he asked family friends Edward Cairney and Avril Jones to help care for her when he died. After his death Margaret eventually moved in with the pair in 1997. But in 1999 Margaret vanished, last seen in December, Cairney and Jones told family she’d left with travellers. Letters arrived from Margaret sporadically over the years proving she was still alive. What the couple weren’t telling anyone was that they were still claiming Margaret’s benefits. It was only when there was a change to the benefits system that their web of lies and deceit began to untangle. Police were called, and an investigation was launched. Police believed that they murdered 17-year-old Margaret in late 1999 and then created a tissue of lies to make it seem as if she was still alive, even travelling the country to write letters purporting to come from her. In June 2019 Cairney and Jones were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Margaret Fleming, fraudulently claiming £182,000 in benefits and perverting the course of justice. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1s9576cQFdQq3QTtTxocmA/join Make sure you subscribe to get your regular crime fix: youtube.com/c/RealCrime From "Murder At My Door" Content licensed from DRG to Little Dot Studios. Any queries, please contact us at: owned-enquiries@littledotstudios.com
