The wife of a millionaire pig farmer turned murderer has won a \u00a3750,000 divorce payout – while he serves life for a shotgun slaying.<\/p>\n

James Seales, 66, from County Down, was jailed for the 2012 murder of Philip Strickland – after claiming he had been at home watching Emmerdale.<\/p>\n

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Now his ex-wife Alison has won three-quarters of the couple's \u00a31million fortune.<\/p>\n

She told the High Court that she was "terrified" of her killer ex-husband – and that she was"psychologically scarred from her many years of living in an abusive relationship".<\/p>\n

Judge Evan Bell said that Seales' "conduct in the carrying out of a murder" barred him from getting an equal share.<\/p>\n

Seales, a former member of the Ulster Volunteer Force, was jailed in 2014 for at least 15 years after he killed Philip Strickland with a shotgun.<\/p>\n

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His sons Ian and Jason Weir were also jailed for their part in the brutal murder.<\/p>\n

The jury heard how Seales ordered Strickland to remove a cannabis factory which he had secretly run on the farmer's land.<\/p>\n

Seales was later stabbed and beaten with iron bars by a gang of men including Strickland, breaking his arms – before the men urinated on him.<\/p>\n

Offensive graffiti and Facebook comments soon appeared slamming Seales.<\/p>\n

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Strickland was also known to have stolen 10,000 Ecstasy tablets from drug dealer Stephen McCaughey, a comrade of Seales in the Ulster Volunteer Force – the most notorious of Northern Ireland's Loyalist militias.<\/p>\n

Seales, his sons and McCaughey then ambushed Strickland at a yard on the outskirts of Comber, County Down.<\/p>\n

They shot Strickland in the leg and bundled him into his car, which he had bought the day before.<\/p>\n

The men then drove the car to a nearby road, where Strickland was blasted again in the face.<\/p>\n

Do you know more? Email Harry Goodwin: harry.goodwin@the-sun.co.uk<\/strong><\/p>\n

McCaughey, from the West Winds Estate, was jailed for life with a minimum tariff of ten years.<\/p>\n

Jason Weir was sentenced to nine and a half years – while Ian, who testified against his dad, was only jailed for four.<\/p>\n

Mr Justice Weir told Seales: "You were the prime mover, director and controller of these wicked events.<\/p>\n

"You took charge of this operation. You brought the loaded shotgun.<\/p>\n

"You fired the first shot and you directed the bundling of the injured Mr Strickland in to his own car.<\/p>\n

"If you didn\u2019t actually fire the second shot, I am satisfied that you directed it."<\/p>\n

Local media has reported that a fifth UVF member involved in the killing is thought to remain at large.<\/p>\n

RED HANDED<\/h2>\n

The shameless pig farmer said in 2020 that lost CCTV footage from his home would have proved his innocence.<\/p>\n

Seales said that he was watching Emmerdale in his County Down farmhouse on the night of Strickland's murder – and called cops when he saw a stranger's car on his drive.<\/p>\n

Speaking from the loyalist wing of Maghaberry Prison, he told the Belfast Telegraph: "The CCTV will show that I never left the house.<\/p>\n

"After I was arrested, the recording disappeared. It was lifted out of the house. <\/p>\n

"I'm now trying to get it back because it proves I had nothing to do with killing Philip Strickland."<\/p>\n

Seales claimed that he only went to the scene of the murder because Jason Weir asked him for "back-up" in a fight.<\/p>\n

But the court heard how Weir burned Strickland's blood-spattered car in a deliberate effort to destroy evidence.<\/p>\n

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Seales also denied claim made against him in court that he offered his sons \u00a3500,000 to take the rap for the killing.<\/p>\n

Trial judge Mr Justice Weir said the evidence against Seales was "formidable" – despite the farmer's protests.<\/p>\n

Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The wife of a millionaire pig farmer turned murderer has won a \u00a3750,000 divorce payout – while he serves life for a shotgun slaying. James Seales, 66, from County Down, was jailed for the 2012 murder of Philip Strickland – after claiming he had been at home watching Emmerdale. Now his ex-wife Alison has won three-quarters of the couple's \u00a31million<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":86172,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n