Overview

• A jury at the Old Bailey found Cowen guilty of murdering 70-year-old Rita Fleming after a four-week trial and just six hours of deliberation.
• He attempted to portray Fleming’s death as an accidental drowning by urging officers to check CCTV and staging the bath scene to support his alibi.
• Messages and voice notes uncovered by the Metropolitan Police revealed a pattern of drunken verbal abuse and controlling behaviour toward his partner.
• DCI Alison Foxwell led the Specialist Crime Team investigation and highlighted how forensic and digital evidence dismantled Cowen’s alibi and exposed lethal domestic abuse.
• Sentencing is scheduled for September 1 at Kingston Crown Court and police have urged domestic violence victims to report abuse