'Perfect murder' suspect Lee Sabine claimed dead husband's pension

Leigh Ann Sabine (right), who died recently, is the main suspect in the death of her husband, John Sabine (left).

Lee Sabine, the woman who is suspected of hiding her husband's body for almost two decades, is now thought to have been claiming his pension after he vanished.

Police in the UK have confirmed they are looking into a number of financial activities involving Sabine, also known as Leigh Sabine and Lee Martin, who died of cancer in October.

Former British and New Zealand night club singer, Lee Jones, also known as Mrs Ann Sabine, who with her husband, John, put their children in a nursery home in 1969. Photo / Supplied

The investigation includes whether she claimed her late husband John Sabine's state pension; after keeping his name on the national electoral register and telling neighbours he had left her, the Daily Mail reported today.

The newspaper also said local authorities believed Sabine had hidden her husband's remains in her flat.

Following her death, "a mystery accomplice" is understood to have followed written instructions to bury the remains in the garden.

The latest developments come after it was revealed over the weekend that the couple had fled to New Zealand - where Lee Sabine was born - and Australia, abandoning their five young children.