Heather Mook from C5’s The Poisoning: How To kill Your Husband – what we know about embezzling wife
HEATHER Mook attempted to poison her husband in a plot to steal from his mmother.
Channel 5 tells her story in true crime documentary, The Poisoning: How To Kill Your Husband.
Who is Heather Mook?
Heather Mook, nee Templeton, is a British woman from York, England.
She had a history of fraud, theft and deception when she married her fourth husband, John Mook, in Poppleton in 1997.
Her previous married names were Hope, Booth and Simpson.
She is known to have children from her previous marriages.
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Heather poisoned her husband John in 2007, using rat poison and antidepressants.
In 2008, she was sentenced to at least five years in prison after being convicted of two counts of poisoning with intent to endanger life.
She served 11 years and was released on March 3, 2020.
Her actions were part of a scheme to confuse her husband so that she could steal £43,000 from his mother, Freda, which was intended for her care.
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It was not Heather's first experience with poisoning.
She poisoned her seven-year-old daughter in 1982 by putting antidepressants into her child's food.
Who was Heather Mook's husband John?
John worked as a bus driver.
He had three daughters from his first marriage.
His daughters, Tracey Hardwick, and Helen Moorby, took part in the Channel 5 documentary and told how their motorbike-loving dad was really fun.
After marrying Heather, the couple experienced significant trouble due to her criminal behaviour.
I think she needs some serious help and I hope she gets it
John Mook on wife Heather
In January 2007, he was rushed to hospital with a suspected heart attack.
However doctors could not find the cause of his illness as he was left fighting for his life.
Finally toxicology results found amitriptyline in his urine and blood samples.
Did Heather Mook try to kill her husband John?
Heather did not intend to kill her husband.
She mixed rat poison and antidepressant amitriptyline into his spaghetti.
This combination was intended to confuse him so she could steal his mother’s life savings.
The rat poison was said to be in a small quantity that did not endanger his life, but the antidepressants caused him confusion, fatigue, and a racing heart, leading to his hospitalisation.
I was literally one pill away from death
John Mook
Following the poisoning incident, John reportedly recovered and expressed concern for his wife's mental health, indicating that he believed she needed treatment rather than just imprisonment.
He said: "I think she needs some serious help and I hope she gets it."
John told the documentary: "I was literally one pill away from death.
"One pill and I would have gone. That would have been it."
How did she spend the money?
Heather stole £43,000 from her mother-in-law, money which was intended for John to use to fund his mum's care.
It was unclear where the money went once it was in Heather’s possession, a court heard.
Heather had a history of theft and deception before her marriage to John Mook.
She tricked friends into giving her over £20,000 on one occasion.
Additionally, she was involved in another scheme where she ordered six BMW cars for a businessman, using a blank cheque that she had fraudulently obtained from a neighbour to cover the costs.
Her past also included claims, such as planning to buy a hotel in Scarborough for £2.8million and budgeting an additional £2.2million for renovations.
During her trial, she was characterised as a "menace to friends and strangers alike," which reflected her long-standing pattern of deceit.
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The Poisoning: How To kill Your Husband aired on October 13, 2024, on Channel 5.
You can catch-up on My5.