Two women from South Herefordshire have been awarded more than £100,000 after successfully taking West Mercia Police to court. The women, Kirsti Windsor, 42, and Katie Brown, 35, were both wrongfully arrested following the death of David Langdon, 40, in August 2008 at a cottage in Wormelow.

The women were both charged with perverting the course of justice. Horse trainer Ms Windsor was also charged with murdering Mr Langdon, her ex-partner. In 2008, she had discovered his body on a bonfire at her home in Wormelow.

Ms Windsor and Mr Langdon had split up. She left their home in Wormelow, and when she returned there was a bonfire in the garden. She had assumed the fire was garden rubbish that Mr Langdon had promised to sort out before he left.

During Ms Windsor and Ms Brown’s trial in 2011, the defence argued that Mr Langdon had either fallen on the fire accidentally or taken his own life.

In 2011, a jury unanimously acquitted her in less than three hours after a six week trial. Ms Brown was also cleared of the lesser charge of perverting the course of justice.

Both women have now been totally vindicated after the police settled their case. This case is estimated to have cost the taxpayer almost £1 million.A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: “West Mercia Police confirm that a compromise settlement was reached in this matter, and we are pleased that it has now been resolved.“We treat every claim against the police seriously and investigate and review all claims thoroughly before making a decision on how to proceed."