Cemetery boss ‘in plot to kill father’s lover’

Erkin Guney, 44, thought Diane Holliday had been involved in his father's death from a heart attack in 2006 and wanted to stop her claiming against his estate.

However, the hitman was an undercover policeman, the jury heard.

In taped conversations Guney told the officer, known as Zaf, he did not mind if his intended victim's young son — his own half brother — was killed too.

Guney, who inherited Brookwood cemetery near Woking in Surrey, and lived in a home in its grounds, said the code phrase for a successful hit would be "the paint's dry".

The car enthusiast added: "Hopefully you will do a nice job of it and polish it up — a nice metallic paint job."

When Guney was arrested two envelopes each containing about £10,000 were found in his safe. He denies soliciting murder.

Gibson Grenfell QC, prosecuting, said Guney first approached ex-convict Sabbah Shahmuradi, who was working as a grave digger on a rehabilitation programme. He asked him to find a hitman to kill Miss Holliday and suggested running her over, shooting her or beating her with a baseball bat.

Shahmuradi was later jailed on a separate matter, and told police what Guney had said. In May last year he contacted the defendant from prison saying "one of my guys" was interested in the plan.

The undercover officer met Guney, who described Miss Holliday as a fraudster. "He said he wanted the job done and wanted her to stop breathing'," Mr Grenfell continued. "He said: If you make a mess of it, if you take the kid out, the son out I don't care.' "

In July police staged the fake accident near Miss Holliday's home in Knapp Hill. Zaf rang and gave the code phrase. They agreed to meet near junction 13 of the M25 but Guney failed to turn up.

Guney was arrested at his home. The court heard he had served seven years of a 14-year term for dealing heroin before having his conviction quashed in 2003 after allegations of police corruption.

He has become paranoid, according to the defence, and refuses to co-operate with a doctor instructed by the prosecution as he suspects him of being a policeman. The case continues.