How CCTV footage from an East Midlands Airport hotel eventually helped snare cold-blooded Edwinstowe killer Carol Croydon

Inside the sometimes plush surroundings holidaymakers can be found gearing up for early morning flights, sorting out their last minute packing and preparing for their eagerly-awaited escape.

But on a grim day back in April 2003 the occupant of one such room at The Hilton East Midlands Airport was attempting to pull off a rather darker escape from reality.

Ruthless Carol Croydon (37) had just brutally stabbed her husband Philip 22 times in the neck and chest with a cheese knife during a savage attack inside room 328 of the busy hotel.

She then tied neckties around each of his wrists and one around his neck, and placed a scarf over Philip’s face before showering, changing and leaving him naked at the foot of the bed.

Heart-less Croydon, who lived with Philip (49) at their £300,000 detached home in Edwinstowe, then set about concocting an elaborate web of lies to cover her sordid tracks, including calling Philip’s brother to say she hadn’t seen her husband in some time.

But within eight hours, callous Croydon was having sex with her secret lover, Nelson Bland, on the sofa at her home.

The blood-stained body of the upholstery businessman was soon discovered by a hotel maid, sparking a police investigation which quickly pointed the finger at the cold-blooded Croydon after hotel CCTV footage cast doubt on her story.

It showed that Philip had arrived at the hotel alone at 5.09pm. But later on in the evening shocked police saw Carol’s car drive into the hotel car park and a woman matching her description was seen entering the hotel.

The horrific murder would go on to feature on hit true crime documentary series, A Town And Country Murder, in which the vital role that the CCTV footage played in snaring ruthless Croydon was revealed.

Ruth Tully, a Forensic psychologist who evaluated the case for the show, said: “Carol arriving at the hotel did not match the alibi that she gave police. She said that she had not seen him. It was inconsistent. What’s more Carol was seen leaving the hotel 40 minutes later, but she wasn’t in the same clothes. She had changed.

“Police knew that they urgently needed to speak to Carol and she was arrested on suspicion of murder.”

During the investigation, manipulative Croydon would go on to change her story multiple times as she looked to blame others for her horrific actions.

Initially Croydon attempted to put the blame on her lover, before saying the death occurred during a sex game gone wrong with two swingers and then that she had blanked out and couldn’t remember what happened.

A search of the couple’s home found a blood-stained plastic bag in a bin as well as plane tickets for Carol and another man for a trip to Dublin two days after Philip’s death.

A search of Carol’s phone revealed intimate messages between her and Nelson Bland. Subsequent investigations failed to find any evidence that linked him to Philip Croydon’s murder and mobile phone data also proved he was nowhere near the hotel at the time of the attack.

After 13 interviews, spread over five days, Croydon was eventually charged with her husband’s murder.

Evil Croydon, who was prevented from inheriting the couple’s estate under the Proceeds of Crime Act following her conviction, was eventually jailed for life at Nottingham Crown Court and told she must serve a minimum of 15 years and two months before she could be considered for parole.

She wept uncontrollably after the jury took less than three hours to find her guilty of murder during her trial in February 2004.

True crime podcaster Mark Randell, who also contributed to the A Town And Country Murder documentary, said: “I don’t think Carol showed any genuine remorse throughout. She changed her story continually. She attempted to besmirch Philip’s reputation with his family and she knew the damages that would do. I think when she cried when the verdict was delivered, I think they were tears for her, not for Philip.”