Heather Mook from C5’s The Poisoning: How to kill your husband – what we know about embezzling wife
HEATHER Mook attempted to poison her husband with rat poison and antidepressants in a plot to steal from her mother-in-law.
Channel 5 has turned her story into a true crime documentary, The Poisoning: How to Kill Your Husband, airing on October 13, 2024, at 9 PM.
Who is Heather Mook?
Heather Mook is a British woman from York, England.
She attempted to poison her husband, John Mook with rat poison and antidepressants.
In 2008, she was sentenced to at least five years in prison after being convicted of two counts of poisoning with intent to endanger life.
Her actions were part of a scheme to confuse her husband so that she could steal £43,000 from his mother, which was intended for her care.
Who was Heather Mook’s husband John?
John Mook was Heather Mook’s fourth husband.
He married her in 1997, and the couple experienced significant trouble during their marriage due to Heather’s criminal behaviour.
Following the poisoning incident, John reportedly recovered and expressed concern for his wife’s mental health, indicating that he believed she needed treatment rather than just imprisonment.
He said: “I think she needs some serious help and I hope she gets it.”
Did Heather Mook try to kill her husband John?
Heather Mook had not intended to kill her husband but rather attempted to poison him with rat poison mixed into his spaghetti along with the antidepressant amitriptyline.
This combination was intended to confuse him so she could steal his mother’s life savings.
The rat poison was said to be in a small quantity that did not endanger his life, but the antidepressants caused him confusion, fatigue, and a racing heart, leading to his hospitalisation.
It was not Heather’s first experience with poisoning.
She had previously poisoned her seven-year-old daughter in 1982 by putting antidepressants into her child’s food.
How did she spend the money?
Heather Mook stole £43,000 from her mother-in-law, money which was intended for John to use to fund her care.
It was unclear where the money had gone once it was in Heather’s possession, a court heard.
Heather had a history of theft and deception before her marriage to John Mook.
She tricked friends into giving her over £20,000 on one occasion.
Additionally, she was involved in another scheme where she ordered six BMW cars for a businessman, using a blank cheque that she had fraudulently obtained from a neighbour to cover the costs.
Her past also included claims, such as planning to buy a hotel in Scarborough for £2.8 million and budgeting an additional £2.2 million for renovations.
During her trial, she was characterised as a “menace to friends and strangers alike,” which reflected her long-standing pattern of deceit.