The brother of a woman murdered at her luxury villa in Spain has spoken of his heartbreak after discovering that he and his sister had different fathers. Lesley Pearson, who grew up with her brother Steve Ramsbottom in Manchester, was strangled to death by her gardener in a row over wages.
Martial arts expert Francisco Javier Becerra stuffed a handkerchief inside Lesley’s mouth and brutally murdered her before stealing money from her wallet and burying her body in a shallow grave in the garden of her isolated property in Algar.
Her body was discovered at the property in the Andalusian village, near Cadiz, in July 2019, ten days after she disappeared. In December last year, Becerra was jailed for 12 and a half years.
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And now Lesley’s brother, Steve Ramsbottom, from Rossendale, Lancashire, has revealed that detectives on the case found out that he and his sister had different fathers after taking a DNA sample from him.
Steve, 74, said: “I was gobsmacked. Me and Lesley were so close. People always said we were like chalk and cheese, but I never in a million years expected this.
“Lesley’s body was so decomposed; the Spanish police were struggling to identify her body. As her brother and only living relative, they asked me for a DNA sample.
“But the test showed we had different fathers! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing."
Steve found out about his sister's death after a reporter knocked on his door. He then called the police and was informed that it was true and that Lesley's gardener was in custody.
The dad-of-two continued: “I was shocked beyond belief. On landing in Spain, I asked if I could see Lesley, but they told me she had decomposed badly due to the climate and being covered in lime. They asked me if they could take a DNA swab to help identify her. I immediately agreed.
“The first test came back inconclusive, so they had to do another one. It was two days later when the police and the pathologist sat me down in a room at the station and told me that the DNA test showed conclusively that we had we had different parentage.
“Both my mother and my father were dead by that point, and there was nobody left to ask. My dad, Stan, fought in World War II and didn’t return home until June 1945. Lesley was born 4th April 1945. I know that my dad had not been home in between.
“Never in a thousand years had either of us suspected anything like this. We just didn’t put two and two together growing up and it never occurred to either me or Les."
Steve added: “Lesley never had children and loved her family. She would be heartbroken to find out our dad wasn’t really her dad at all. She was a real daddy’s girl when she was a kid.
“First, I had to take in the news that Lesley was dead, then that she was murdered, and her body dumped. On top of that, finding out we were never full siblings was a huge blow. I was devastated. But losing a child, as I lost my son, equips a man for anything life can throw at you.
“People often commented that me and Lesley were opposites. I was always very outgoing and sociable. I ran a chippy for fifty-five years and I get involved with the community.
“I played international badminton for Great Britain and was very sporty. I also had a reputation for being over generous. This was the exact opposite of dear old Les.
“She was very frugal and careful with her money, she didn’t have a sporty bone in her body. We were very different people but loved each other and cared for each regardless.
“To my mind, Lesley was and is my sister and I love her dearly. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past. I have come to terms with the shock. I’m just glad she never found out.
“It was a standing joke between us that Lesley was very careful with her money, we used to laugh about it. She always refused to put the heating on, and she would never go out socially.
“For her to be murdered in a row over money just breaks my heart. On my last visit to Lesley, we took a photo of us both together. The police later used that photo to help identify her from her jewellery. It’s some comfort to me that Lesley died without knowing the truth about her father.”
Steve took over running the family’s chip shop after their parents, Stan and Betty, moved to Mallorca, Spain. Thirty years ago, Lesley moved to Spain with her partner, Frank, and Steve and his partner, Christine Salmon, 69, visited them three times a year.
In July 1996, Steve, a father of two sons, tragically lost his teenage son, Matthew.
Christine said: “Lesley and Frank had a wonderful villa and we loved visiting them. We spent Christmas with them too. Frank and Steve were really good mates and we went over as often as we could.
“Steve played badminton in Spain so we’d meet up after the competitions.”
Lesley's villa called ‘Casa Lele’ – was named after her and set in the wilderness above Algar, Spain. In 2013, Frank died following a car crash.
Steve said: “Lesley missed Frank, but she trained in yoga and massage. She kept herself busy, she had a flat in Gibraltar where she spent most of her time and was still very careful with her money.”
In September 2018, a few months before Lesley was murdered, Steve and Chris flew out for what would be their last visit.
Steve said: “We took her for lunch, and Chris took our photo. Little did I know that it would be the last ever photo I’d have. In fact, the police later used that same photo to help identify Lesley from her jewellery.
“It wasn’t a good visit, Lesley drove me mad, she was really snappy, and as we drove away, I said to Chris: ‘I’m not going to visit her again.’ It was said in anger, and I had no idea of what was to come in the future.”
In July 2019, Lesley was reported missing after she failed to return a hire car, before a trip to Gibraltar. Ten days on, Steve and Christine learned that she was dead.
Christine said: “It was a huge shock. It was so difficult to get information because she had died in Spain. We had a meeting with Spanish police, arranged by the embassy, and they told us she had been murdered.”
In December last year, Becerra admitted murdering Lesley and was jailed by a Spanish court. He had falsely claimed to villagers she had sold her home to a Romanian family and he had started selling off her things.
Judge Lourdes Marin Fernandez said Becerra killed Lesley with “direct intent” and ordered him to pay £20,300 in compensation to Steve.
“I haven’t had a penny of compensation and that doesn’t bother me," Steve said. "Money won’t bring Lesley back. Money never made her happy and it led to her death. There are more important things in life.”
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