Nicholas Billingham's Murder: How a 'Sex Game' Turned To Murder and Who is Tulip 22

Nicholas Billingham, a 42-year-old builder from Northampton, was murdered in November 2021 in circumstances that shocked the community. His long-term partner, Fiona Beal, 50, a respected primary school teacher, lured him into what she described as a 'sex game' before fatally stabbing him.

The case, masked for months by pandemic isolation and deception, later revealed disturbing details of Beal's alter ego, 'Tulip 22', and a calculated cover-up that kept Billingham's family believing he was alive. This is how the crime unfolded — and how it was eventually uncovered.

The 'Sex Game' that Led to Murder

On 1 November 2021, Billingham initiated sex with Beal, who had been smoking cannabis throughout the day. She encouraged him to take a bath, promising intimacy afterwards as part of what she framed as a 'new start' together.

Afterwards, Beal tied him to the bed with cable ties and blindfolded him. Once in place, she stabbed him once in the neck before later concealing his body. In her recovered journal, Beal wrote: 'Mon. Nov 1st ... I had smoked all day. I had a bath. I left the water in. He had been pushing for sex. I encouraged the bath with the incentive of sex afterwards.'

She continued: 'While he was in the bath, I kept the knife in my dressing gown pocket and then hid it in the drawer next to the bed. I brought a chisel, bin bag and cable ties up too. I got him to wear an eye mask.'

Beal later reflected on the aftermath in her journal: 'It was harder than I thought it would be. Hiding his body was bad. Moving a body is much more difficult than it looks on TV.'

Tulip 22, the Alter Ego

To colleagues and students, Beal was seen as a 'high-functioning professional' and a 'kind-hearted' educator. Yet her journal revealed she attributed the planning to an alter ego she called Tulip 22.

She described Tulip 22 as 'reckless, fearless and efficient — ruthless'. In one entry, she wrote: 'I thought about leaving him, but the things he said and did fuelled my dark side. I let Tulip 22 out. I knew I couldn't let him get away with it... Tulip 22 smoked and planned.'

Beal claimed Tulip 22 plotted after Billingham went to bed, writing: 'I could no longer sleep in the bed because my breathing was too loud, or I moved too much, or I was snoring, etc, etc. I would go downstairs after sex, even when I was unwell. I got used to sleeping downstairs and waited for him to go to bed, then got high and let Tulip 22 out.'

The Murder Cover-up

Following the murder, Beal exploited COVID-19 isolation protocols. She told friends, family, and the school that she had contracted the virus and needed to isolate for 10 days.

During this period, she dragged Billingham's 14-stone body downstairs — breaking the banister in the process — and buried him in a shallow grave in the garden. She then used concrete, breeze blocks and timber to construct what prosecutors described as a 'de facto coffin.' She redecorated the house to conceal bloodstains.

In the days and months that followed, Beal continued messaging Billingham's family, claiming they had separated and he had moved to Essex with a new girlfriend named Faye. She even staged a fake text argument with Billingham to make the deception convincing.

The Discovery of Billingham's Remains

The crime remained hidden for months. In March 2022, Beal's mental health deteriorated, and she rented a cabin in Cumbria, sending suicidal messages to her family.

When police found her, they discovered her 'confessional' journals detailing the murder and the role of her alter ego, Tulip 22. Investigators later uncovered Billingham's remains buried under the garden path. A blood-stained mattress was also recovered.

Abuse Allegations and Trial

At trial in 2023, Beal admitted killing Billingham but argued 'diminished responsibility' and 'loss of control', claiming it was manslaughter rather than murder. She alleged that Billingham was abusive, 'controlling' and 'demeaning', citing incidents where he spat on her during sex, imposed rigid household rules, and threw meals against the wall.

Her journal described 'seventeen years of him being argumentative, mean, cruel, belittling, nasty, lying, cheating, gambling, narcissistic, controlling — emotionally abusive, verbally abusive and sexually demeaning'.

Police disputed these claims. DCI Adam Pendlebury said investigators 'couldn't find evidence of coercive controlling behaviour', adding that Billingham 'was not an angel by any stretch, but we don't believe there was evidence to support that he was a domestic abuser.'

In May 2024, Beal was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years.