Helen Bailey

Helen Bailey (22 August 1964 – body found 15 July 2016)^[1] was a British author who wrote the Electra Brown series of books aimed at a teenage audience.^[2] She was reported missing in April 2016; three months later, human remains were found at her home, and her partner was charged with her murder.

Life and career

Bailey was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and was brought up in Ponteland, Northumberland.^[1] She later wrote of her experience at Ponteland High School: "Whilst at school I used to sit and stare out of the window, dreaming of anything but lessons, then go home and write pages and pages in my diary of who did what to whom and (usually) why wasn’t I part of it."^[1]

She gained a degree in physiology at Thames Polytechnic in London, intending to become a forensic scientist, before undertaking postgraduate research in a teaching hospital. She then changed career to work in the media, and worked on licensing and marketing campaigns for characters such as Rugrats and Garfield, and for Nintendo, feature film and cartoon characters.^[3][4] While working as a temporary secretary, she met and, in 1996, married the head of a licensing rights company, John Sinfield.^[5][1] She moved from Clerkenwell to Highgate around the same time.^[2]

Bailey wrote five books of "teenage angst" in the Crazy World of Electra Brown series: Life at the Shallow End (2008), Out of my Depth (2008), Swimming Against the Tide (2009), Taking the Plunge (2009), and Falling Hook, Line & Sinker (2010).^[6] She was nominated for a "Queen of Teen" award in 2010.^[1][7] In Running in Heels (2011), she featured a new character, Daisy Davenport.^[8] Bailey also wrote books for younger children, including the Willow the Woodsprite series, the Topaz series, and the Felicity Wishes series.^[9] In all, she had 22 books of short stories, picture books and young-adult fiction published.^[3][10]

In February 2011, her husband John Sinfield drowned while swimming when the couple were on holiday in Barbados.^[1][5] They had been together for 22 years, and married for the last 15.^[5] Her first book for adults, When Bad Things Happen in Good Bikinis (2015), was based on her Planet Grief blog which sets out her "journey through grief" after he died.^[11] It was described in The Guardian as "a painful and companionable account of coming to terms with life without her husband."^[5] The book also noted her subsequent relationship, beginning in October 2011, with widower Ian Stewart, a father of two adult sons.^[5][1][12] She appeared on television to talk about the grieving process,^[13] and in October 2015, she discussed her experiences and the book on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.^[14]

Disappearance and death

Bailey was reported missing from her home in Royston, Hertfordshire by her partner Ian Stewart,^[15] after last being seen out walking her dog on 11 April 2016.^[16] A note was reportedly found, saying she was going to stay at the family holiday home in Broadstairs, but it was later established that she had not been there. Her brother and mother described her disappearance as out of character, and the police described it as "perplexing".^[17]

On 11 July, police reported that they had arrested a 55-year-old Royston man, and questioned him on suspicion of murder and disposing of a body.^[18][19] He was initially released on bail,^[20] but on 15 July police reported that human remains, and those of her dog, had been found in a hidden septic tank at Bailey's house, Hartwell Lodge, in Royston.^[21] Police confirmed that the remains found were those of Bailey.^[22][23] Ian Stewart was charged on 16 July with murder, perverting the course of justice and preventing a lawful burial. He was remanded in custody and appeared at St Albans Crown Court on 19 July.^[24][25] On 12 October he pleaded not guilty, ^[26] with his trial provisionally set for January 2017.^[21]

References

External links

• Official website
• Profile at AuthorHotline.com
• Zoe Clark-Coates, "Where Is Helen Bailey?", Huffington Post, 23 April 2016