By . Sam Webb . PUBLISHED: . 11:51 EST, 17 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:06 EST, 17 July 2013 . A 'conman' murdered the owner of a luxury cattery and mutilated her body in a bid to cover his tracks after cheating her out of about £60,000, a court heard today. Businesswoman Diana Lee, 54, was bludgeoned to death at her home in affluent East Cheshire by her debt-ridden boyfriend David Ryan, prosecutors allege. The divorcee’s naked body was found face down in a wheelbarrow full of wood by firefighters who were called to attend a blaze at her gated detached property in the leafy village of Cranage, near Holmes Chapel, on August 9 last year, Chester Crown Court heard. Diana Lee, a wealthy businesswoman, was battered to death and her body was found in the burnt out garage of her luxury rural home. David Ryan, pictured leaving Chester Crown Court in Cheshire, denies murdering her . The cattery owner had suffered fatal head wounds from 'a sustained attack with a blunt object' and her genitals had been mutilated, the jury heard. Ryan, of Byrom Street, Altrincham, denies murder. Summing up the prosecution case, Brian Cummings QC told the jury of six men and six women: 'We suggest that the evidence is very strong indeed and amounts to compelling proof that the person who murdered Diana Lee was indeed David Ryan.' Mr Cummings described Ryan as 'devious' and a 'conman' and said he targeted Ms Lee when he was 'at a particularly low ebb' due to his spiralling debt. Ms Lee, 54, suffered fatal injuries in the attack at her luxury cattery in a large gated property . The court has heard that Ryan, who is married, was bankrupt and had racked up £90,000 debts, and that he was receiving 'large amounts of cash from Diana Lee' during their trysts. 'He landed on her as a suitable target for fraud,' the barrister said. The prosecution allege that he presented a 'bogus business opportunity' to her and that over a period of months she gave the defendant around £60,000 which he could not repay. The prosecution say Ryan mutilated Ms Lee’s genitals in an attempt to get rid of his DNA as the pair had engaged in unprotected sex the night before she was killed. Grim discovery: A forensics officer at the murder victim's house last year . Earlier Mr Cummings told the jury, during his prosecution opening, that the defendant had started four fires at the victim’s home to destroy all evidence of their connections. He said: 'Other than the fact he had unprotected sex with her, he believed that there would be nothing to link him to her, nor indeed anything to indicate there had been anyone at Parklands (her home) that night other than Diana Lee and her lodger. 'We allege that this is why he mutilated her body and attempted to incinerate it along with all the bedding.' The court also heard that Ryan tried to 'frame' Ms Lee’s lodger, Andrew Leese, for the murder. After her brutal killing, Ryan took an antique German dagger belonging to Mr Leese and dipped it in the victim’s blood, it was alleged. He also planted Ms Lee’s underwear in the lodger’s room, the jury have heard. Ryan owned a glazing and conservatory firm, but was declared bankrupt in June 2012 , the court heard. He was conducting a secret affair with Ms Lee for almost two years, after the pair met in the Cinnamon Club in Bowdon village, near Altrincham in 2010, it was said. Ms Lee did not know he was married, the defendant told police. During their fling, she withdrew £70,000 from various accounts. Mr Cummings told the jury Ryan’s 'cash purchases and deposits' during the same period totalled 'more than £60,000', despite the fact he had no legitimate income and huge debts. The defendant admitted he had sex with Ms Lee in the back of her Vauxhall Corsa near his home in Altrincham on the evening of Wednesday, August 8, the day before her body was found. The prosecution described Ryan as 'devious' and a 'conman' and said he targeted Ms Lee when he was 'at a particularly low ebb' due to his spiralling debt . But the prosecution say this is a lie and that the pair actually had sex in Ms Lee’s bed that night and that Ryan made up the story of sex in the car as he tried to cover his tracks and distance himself from the murder scene. The jury was told that, when first arrested, Ryan claimed he only knew Ms Lee after giving her a quote for new windows at her cattery. But the following day he was interviewed by police again and admitted: 'I was with her the night before. I had sex with her in the car.' Ryan described their relationship to police, claiming he and Ms Lee were 'friends with occasional sex' He added: 'I was in her car. It was only for a few minutes. It did not last long.' Ryan described their relationship to police, claiming they were 'friends with occasional sex'. After Ms Lee’s death, Cheshire police analysed his computer and found Google search terms including for 'countries that do not have an extradition treaty with the UK' - which prosecutors allege prove he was planning to flee the country. Mr Ryan said he was simply researching another crime in which he was interested. Experts also found the defendant had visited a page relating to Diana Lee’s murder on the Cheshire Police website, then tried to delete it. Ms Lee ran a luxury cattery from a building next to Parklands, off Byley Lane near Cranage Park. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons.
Diana Lee found bludgeoned and butchered at her countryside home .
David Ryan accused of murdering the cattery owner .
It is alleged he stole large amounts of cash from her before she died .
The two had sex the night before she died, the court heard .
By . Sam Webb . PUBLISHED: . 11:51 EST, 17 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:06 EST, 17 July 2013 . A 'conman' murdered the owner of a luxury cattery and mutilated her body in a bid to cover his tracks after cheating her out of about £60,000, a court heard today. Businesswoman Diana Lee, 54, was bludgeoned to death at her home in affluent East Cheshire by her debt-ridden boyfriend David Ryan, prosecutors allege. The divorcee’s naked body was found face down in a wheelbarrow full of wood by firefighters who were called to attend a blaze at her gated detached property in the leafy village of Cranage, near Holmes Chapel, on August 9 last year, Chester Crown Court heard. Diana Lee, a wealthy businesswoman, was battered to death and her body was found in the burnt out garage of her luxury rural home. David Ryan, pictured leaving Chester Crown Court in Cheshire, denies murdering her . The cattery owner had suffered fatal head wounds from 'a sustained attack with a blunt object' and her genitals had been mutilated, the jury heard. Ryan, of Byrom Street, Altrincham, denies murder. Summing up the prosecution case, Brian Cummings QC told the jury of six men and six women: 'We suggest that the evidence is very strong indeed and amounts to compelling proof that the person who murdered Diana Lee was indeed David Ryan.' Mr Cummings described Ryan as 'devious' and a 'conman' and said he targeted Ms Lee when he was 'at a particularly low ebb' due to his spiralling debt. Ms Lee, 54, suffered fatal injuries in the attack at her luxury cattery in a large gated property . The court has heard that Ryan, who is married, was bankrupt and had racked up £90,000 debts, and that he was receiving 'large amounts of cash from Diana Lee' during their trysts. 'He landed on her as a suitable target for fraud,' the barrister said. The prosecution allege that he presented a 'bogus business opportunity' to her and that over a period of months she gave the defendant around £60,000 which he could not repay. The prosecution say Ryan mutilated Ms Lee’s genitals in an attempt to get rid of his DNA as the pair had engaged in unprotected sex the night before she was killed. Grim discovery: A forensics officer at the murder victim's house last year . Earlier Mr Cummings told the jury, during his prosecution opening, that the defendant had started four fires at the victim’s home to destroy all evidence of their connections. He said: 'Other than the fact he had unprotected sex with her, he believed that there would be nothing to link him to her, nor indeed anything to indicate there had been anyone at Parklands (her home) that night other than Diana Lee and her lodger. 'We allege that this is why he mutilated her body and attempted to incinerate it along with all the bedding.' The court also heard that Ryan tried to 'frame' Ms Lee’s lodger, Andrew Leese, for the murder. After her brutal killing, Ryan took an antique German dagger belonging to Mr Leese and dipped it in the victim’s blood, it was alleged. He also planted Ms Lee’s underwear in the lodger’s room, the jury have heard. Ryan owned a glazing and conservatory firm, but was declared bankrupt in June 2012 , the court heard. He was conducting a secret affair with Ms Lee for almost two years, after the pair met in the Cinnamon Club in Bowdon village, near Altrincham in 2010, it was said. Ms Lee did not know he was married, the defendant told police. During their fling, she withdrew £70,000 from various accounts. Mr Cummings told the jury Ryan’s 'cash purchases and deposits' during the same period totalled 'more than £60,000', despite the fact he had no legitimate income and huge debts. The defendant admitted he had sex with Ms Lee in the back of her Vauxhall Corsa near his home in Altrincham on the evening of Wednesday, August 8, the day before her body was found. The prosecution described Ryan as 'devious' and a 'conman' and said he targeted Ms Lee when he was 'at a particularly low ebb' due to his spiralling debt . But the prosecution say this is a lie and that the pair actually had sex in Ms Lee’s bed that night and that Ryan made up the story of sex in the car as he tried to cover his tracks and distance himself from the murder scene. The jury was told that, when first arrested, Ryan claimed he only knew Ms Lee after giving her a quote for new windows at her cattery. But the following day he was interviewed by police again and admitted: 'I was with her the night before. I had sex with her in the car.' Ryan described their relationship to police, claiming he and Ms Lee were 'friends with occasional sex' He added: 'I was in her car. It was only for a few minutes. It did not last long.' Ryan described their relationship to police, claiming they were 'friends with occasional sex'. After Ms Lee’s death, Cheshire police analysed his computer and found Google search terms including for 'countries that do not have an extradition treaty with the UK' - which prosecutors allege prove he was planning to flee the country. Mr Ryan said he was simply researching another crime in which he was interested. Experts also found the defendant had visited a page relating to Diana Lee’s murder on the Cheshire Police website, then tried to delete it. Ms Lee ran a luxury cattery from a building next to Parklands, off Byley Lane near Cranage Park. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons.
court heard today. Businesswoman Diana Lee, 54, was bludgeoned to death at her home in affluent garage of her luxury rural home. David Ryan, denies murdering her . The cattery owner had that he was receiving 'large amounts of cash from engaged in unprotected sex the night before she