Father and daughter convicted of murdering woman in canal
A father and daughter have been found guilty over the murder of Chereiss Bailey, whose body was dumped in a canal in Great Bridge, West Midlands, weighed down with paving slabs. John Anslow, 65, was convicted of her murder and preventing a lawful burial, while his daughter Hayley-Marie Ferguson was convicted of assisting an offender and preventing a lawful burial, following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court. Police said Anslow had presented himself as a vulnerable wheelchair user while in fact being a "violent predator", and the case highlights how his disguise helped conceal the crime.
Ms Bailey, 36, who sometimes worked as a sex worker, was last seen alive on CCTV entering Anslow's home on 27 September 2025 before being fatally assaulted. The next morning Anslow called Ferguson, who brought paving slabs by taxi under the pretext of gardening help, and the pair later wheeled the body from the house in Anslow's wheelchair before dumping it in the canal. Her body was recovered on 7 October 2025, ten days later, after a member of the public alerted West Midlands Police, and officers subsequently found blood-stained clothing at Ferguson's home. Ms Bailey's family paid tribute to her as a "much-loved daughter, sister, mother, auntie, granddaughter and friend" with a "huge personality", noting that her young son has been left without her.
- Father convicted of murdering Chereiss Bailey, dumping body in canal
- Daughter Hayley-Marie Ferguson convicted of helping dispose of body
- Body weighed with paving slabs, found in canal 10 days later
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Chereiss Bailey, 36, was killed at a house in Great Bridge, in the Sandwell area of the West Midlands, in September 2025. Her body was found in a nearby canal ten days later, held down with paving slabs, after a member of the public raised the alarm with West Midlands Police. She sometimes worked as a sex worker and had gone to the house after being seen on CCTV entering it.
Two people have now been convicted over her death. John Anslow, 65, who lived at the property and used a wheelchair, was found guilty of her murder, while his daughter, Hayley-Marie Ferguson, was convicted of helping to cover up the crime. Prosecutors said Anslow presented himself publicly as vulnerable, and the case has drawn attention to how that image was used to help conceal what had happened.
The case matters both because of the serious nature of the crime and because it has raised wider questions about the safety of sex workers and how appearances of vulnerability can mask violent offending. Ms Bailey's family have spoken publicly about their loss, and she is survived by a young son.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Man murdered woman and then dumped her in a canal with the help of his daughter – who weighed body down with paving slabs”.