A depressed husband has been found not guilty of plotting to murder his Russian wife.
Steven Hellewell, 50 of Gorse Close, Tadworth, had been standing trial at Guildford Crown Court for soliciting to murder his wife, Elena Hellewell, 48, also from Tadworth.
It was alleged that, after his wife left him for good in February 2012, he asked his estranged son to kidnap her so that he could kill her, using cable ties and tape to tie her up.
Police arrested him on December 17 last year, the day his son arrived at Tattenham Corner, before tipping them off about his father’s alleged plans.
But Mr Hellewell told the court that he had never intended to kill his wife. Instead, he had been planning to kill himself in her presence.
A jury of nine men and three women found Mr Hellewell not guilty.
Mr Hellewell was discharged from custody at 11.30am today.
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