Wife faces life sentence

Lesley Gault faces a life sentence for the murder of her husband

A woman who helped her lover murder her husband faces a life term when she is sentenced on Friday.

Mother of triplets Lesley Gault was convicted by a majority verdict at Belfast Crown Court in March after three days of deliberation by the jury.

The prosecution case was that the 35-year-old set her husband up by providing vital information to the killer of her husband.

Her former lover, fireman Neil Gordon Graham, from Wheatfield, The Granary, Ballygowan in County Down, is serving a life sentence for the murder.

The jury at that trial failed to reach a verdict on his co-accused Gault and she was sent for retrial.

'Jury distressed'

Paul Gault, 34, was found beaten to death in the bedroom of his Audley Avenue home in Lisburn, County Antrim, on 19 May 2000.

After delivering their verdict, many in the jury - who were excused from further jury services for life - appeared distressed and some wept openly as they left the court.

Members of Paul Gault's family cheered and jumped to their feet as the verdict was read out.

Although she faces a mandatory life sentence, Gault will be told how long she must serve before she can be considered for release.

When jailed in December last year, Graham was told he would serve at least 20 years for his part in the brutal killing.

In a statement, the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade said it had suspended Gault from duty following a police investigation into the murder.