Judge considers compensation for Kiwi victim

Malcolm Webster at the High Court Glasgow, where he was found guilty of attempting to murder a new Zealand woman in the 1990s. Photo / Iain McLellan/Spindrift

An Auckland nurse, whose husband was today convicted of trying to murder her 12 years ago, may get compensation after a Scottish judge sought information on the financial staus of the man.

Malcolm Webster, 52, was found guilty by a jury in the Glasgow High Court of the attempted murder of Felicity Drumm between July 1996 and February 1999, and the murder of his first wife, Claire Morris, in Aberdeenshire in 1994.

The judge, Lord Bannatyne, asked for information about Webster's financial status with a view to awarding "a penniless" Ms Drumm compensation, The Glasgow Herald reported.

Ms Morris' family are also seeking an apology from the police officers who caused them to grieve twice by originally deciding her death was an accident.

Webster drugged Ms Morris, crashed his car and set it alight as she lay unconscious inside. After her death he claimed more than $400,000 in life insurance and spent the money within six months.

Several years later he married Ms Drumm and tried to kill her several times in Auckland and in Britain between July 1996 and February 1999.

Both families said they were delighted at the guilty verdicts.

The case was reopened after the Ms Drumm's sister Jane, who was also targeted by Webster, told police in England of her concerns.

Ms Morris' family said the verdict had freed them from the "psychological sadism" inflicted by Webster.

Jane Drumm told NZPA the family was "really delighted" with the verdict.

"Justice has been given to my sister and to Claire and her family, and to my parents," she said.

Her parents could have died in a fire Webster lit at their Takapuna home on Auckland's North Shore, she said.

During the trial, one of the longest in Scotland's criminal history, a string of women seduced by Webster gave evidence.

"He can't hurt any other women," Ms Drumm said today.

"It was really devastating. There were a number of times where we could easily have lost my sister.

"There were a number of attempts on her life and to me it was just amazing good fortune we have still got her and it is amazing good fortune we have still got my parents.

"It took a lot out of my parents and my sister. She was left completely cleaned out financially with a little child. She has got on and remade her life."

Felicity Drumm, who has a 13-year-old son by Webster, travelled from New Zealand to give evidence at the Glasgow trial.

The pair met in Saudi Arabia and moved to Takapuna, marrying in 1997.

Shortly after their wedding, Ms Drumm told doctors she was having blackouts. After a 1999 car crash she was found to have a strong sedative in her system. Ms Drumm also found Webster had taken most of her life savings and forged life insurance documents in her name.

Webster left New Zealand shortly after that crash, becoming the subject of four warrants for his failure to appear in North Shore District Court in July 2000.

Two were for arson, one was for selling, giving, supplying or administering a drug and the other was for disabling or stupefying his wife.

Ms Drumm said she twice had double vision and trouble walking after consuming food or drink Webster gave her on honeymoon. On one occasion she slept for 36 hours.

- NZPA