John Mook: Husband fed rat poison spaghetti by embezzling wife Heather
JOHN Mook was fed poison by his wife Heather, as part of a scheme to steal £43,000 from his mother.
Heather was eventually convicted and spent 11 years in prison.
Who was John Mook?
John Mook is a great grandfther, grandfather and dad of three.
He had three daughters with his first wife, but was left devastated after the collapse of his marriage.
He told Channel 5 documentary, The Poisoning: How To Kill Your Husband, that he thought his "world had come to an end" and didn't eat.
However, he revealed he was "absolutely over the moon" when he met Heather.
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Heather had been married three times before and according to John "had a past" which he didn't care about.
The pair married in 1997.
In January 2007, John was rushed to hospital feeling ill.
It was eventually discovered that he had been poisoned - by his own wife.
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Despite the attempted poisoning, John recovered and expressed concern for Heather's mental health, suggesting that she needed help rather than just imprisonment.
He said: "I think she needs some serious help and I hope she gets it."
Did John Mook die?
No, John did not die as a result of Heather's poisoning attempts.
Although Heather poisoned him with rat poison and antidepressants, John survived the trauma.
The poisoning caused severe symptoms such as confusion, fatigue and a racing heart, leading to his hospitalisation, but he recovered.
It was revealed he had been poisoned during his work as a bus driver, which could have had serious consequences.
Despite his wife being found guilty of poisoning him, John visited her in prison.
He planned to reunite with her on her release but his daughters issued him an ultimate - us or Heather.
They certainly haven't been hidden in any assets we have seen. She has maybe squandered it on holidays
Police on how the money was never found
John eventually finished things with his second wife and filed for divorce.
Heather was released from prison on March 3, 2020, after 11 years behind bars.
The Channel 5 documentary revealed John had found love again with new partner, Sue.
Why did Heather Mook poison John?
Heather poisoned her husband, John, as part of a larger scheme to embezzle £43,000 from his mother, Freda Mook.
She secretly mixed rat poison and the antidepressant amitriptyline into his spaghetti.
This concoction was intended to disorient and confuse him.
Over time, Heather administered these poisons whenever John had financial or legal meetings.
The poisoning distracted John from noticing her theft, allowing her to continue her deception.
Heather was arrested after John’s daughter caught her giving him more poison while he was in hospital.
She was sentenced to at least five years in prison after being convicted of two counts of poisoning with intent to endanger life.
Judge James Spencer, QC, said about his verdict: "I can tell you that a sentence of imprisonment is inevitable."
The money she stole was never found and Heather did not tell police what she did with it.
Detective Inspector Nigel Costello of York CID said: "They certainly haven't been hidden in any assets we have seen.
"We needed some assistance from her.
“She has maybe squandered it on holidays or perhaps even had a debt from before she met Mr. Mook that we never knew about."
Heather Mook had a long history of fraud and deception well before marrying John, which he did not know about.
She manipulated friends out of more than £20,000 and used a fraudulent blank cheque from a neighbour to purchase six BMW cars for a businessman.
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Her criminal activities extended to making bold claims, including plans to buy a Scarborough hotel for £2.8 million and invest another £2.2 million in renovations.
Additionally, in 1982, she poisoned her then seven-year-old daughter by lacing her food with antidepressants.