Black Widow Dena Thompson could reoffend, warns detective

Two years have elapsed since the release of Dena Thompson, the woman infamously known as the ‘Black Widow’. She deceived three husbands, killed one, and violently attacked another.

Once able to use her innocent appearance to ensnare men, Thompson, now a grey-haired 64-year-old, barely attracts attention. However, the retired police officer who contributed to her incarceration warns that men should still be cautious around her.

“If your father, son, uncle, or friend mentions meeting a new lady named Dena, my advice is to contact the police,” says former Sussex detective Sean McDonald, who led the investigation and met Thompson multiple times. “I am convinced she will reoffend.”

Thompson’s notorious crimes will be revisited in a new three-part documentary, “Black Widow”, airing on Sky later this month. The series recounts how she defrauded and poisoned her first husband, bigamously married and defrauded her second, and after covering up his murder as a suicide, attacked her third husband with a metal baseball bat and carving knife.

Police alleged that Thompson targeted at least eight other men through lonely hearts advertisements before her imprisonment in 2003, suggesting her known crimes might be only part of her sinister activities.

Concerns persist about what the future holds for Thompson, described by the judge who sentenced her as “utterly ruthless and without pity”. Recent claims suggest she may have formed a new relationship with a prison pen pal, unsettling those who previously fell victim to her schemes.

Sean McDonald believes Thompson’s advancing age and the prevalence of online dating might even work to her advantage. “She now targets divorcees and people with substantial pensions, often owning homes outright,” he says. “She carefully picks lonely, wealthy men.”

Thompson’s ex-husband, 69-year-old businessman Lee Wyatt, recounts his harrowing experience. “I was her first victim,” he says. “I wanted a life partner but now realise I’m lucky to be alive.”

Wyatt, who fell for Thompson when she was a charming 22-year-old in North London, suffered years of deception and estrangement from their son Darren, now 37, who was raised by Thompson’s parents in Devon.

A source close to the family reveals that although Thompson’s brothers have severed ties with her, her parents remained devoted to their “golden girl”, even refusing to accept her guilt.

Wyatt warns, “She appears innocent but it’s all an act. No man is safe around her.”

After marrying Wyatt in 1984, Thompson began a series of elaborate deceptions, including forging documents to convince him that Disney wanted to buy rights to a toy character she created. She tricked him into believing the mafia was after them, leading him to change his name and live in hiding while sending her his earnings.

Unknown to Wyatt, Thompson had moved another man, Julian Webb, into their home. She married Webb bigamously in 1991, falsely claimed she had cancer, and stole thousands from his savings and her workplace. Webb died in 1994 after consuming a curry laced with drugs, though police initially found no evidence of foul play.

The case was later reopened, leading to Thompson’s life sentence in 2003 after police confirmed she poisoned Webb. Investigations revealed she had defrauded numerous other men, with some reluctant to come forward due to shame or personal circumstances.

Thompson’s release continues to haunt those she harmed. Her third husband, Richard Thompson, previously stated, “She can’t change. She’s never shown remorse. She’s a schemer.”

Sightings of Thompson have been reported in Reading, London, and Devon, where she attended her father’s funeral in July 2022. Witnesses noted her bold demeanour, despite arriving in handcuffs.

Concerns grow that Thompson might be in a new relationship with someone who contacted her in prison. McDonald cautions that some people are drawn to the excitement of such relationships and believes Thompson will reoffend. “She is a manipulator,” he says. “There will be other victims.”

Wyatt echoes this sentiment. “Her desire for money will always be there. She can’t help herself.”