Women met her killer after placing a lonely hearts ad online

A heartless conman who murdered a care worker before cleaning out her bank account and dumping her body in a field has lost an appeal against his conviction.

Clinton Kennard Bailey, 37, met carer, Leah Questin, of Sneyd Road, Cricklewood, after she responded to a lonely hearts ad placed on Gumtree.com.

After killing her he withdrew her �2,000 savings and left her body in a suitcase in a field in Kent.

Bailey, a South African living in Brockley, south London, was jailed for life at the Old Bailey in July last year after he was found guilty of 37-year-old Miss Questin’s murder.

But his lawyers brought the case before the Court of Appeal today (Thursday) claiming that the evidence only justified a charge of manslaughter.

Three senior judges, sitting at the London court today, threw out their arguments, ruling that there was enough evidence to convict Bailey for murder.

Mr Justice Lindblom told the court Miss Questin was a Phillipino immigrant who came to the UK to work as a carer.

Using a false name, Bailey claimed to be an IT executive. When in reality he was broke and had targeted Miss Questin for the cash she had saved up to pay for an extension to her visa.

The judge said Bailey murdered her in September 2009, around which time all but �4 of her money was withdrawn from her account, and Bailey was found to have used her Oyster Card.

The suitcase containing her body and a number of air fresheners was found by a dog walker later that month.

The state of her remains meant it was not possible to determine the cause of death, the court heard.

Bailey refused to give evidence in his trial.

His lawyers argued that, because it could not be proved how she died, there was not enough evidence to justify the murder conviction, which should be downgraded to manslaughter.

But, Mr Justice Lindblom, sitting with Lord Justice Richards and Mr Justice Eady, rejected that claim ruling that the jury’s decision was justified.