A British businessman murdered his glamorous Russian bride after he
discovered she used to be a man.
Chris Collier, 40, battered wife Julia, 35, before smothering her to
death at the couple's apartment in Kusadasi, on the Aegean coast of
Turkey.
He has now has been jailed for 24 years after a trial in his adopted
country, where he ran an estate agent and his wife worked as a lounge
singer in hotel bars.
Collier, originally from Rownall, Staffordshire, was a key figure in
the Phones4U empire before emigrating to Turkey in the late 1990s.
He was one of the first salesmen tycoon John Caudwell employed when he
was setting up his mobile phone business, which he went sold for a
staggering £1.46 billion in September 2006.
After Mrs Collier's murder, detectives probed the couple's
relationship amid claims her husband 'bought' his bride on the
internet, and she had undergone a sex change.
Postings in an internet forum used by expat Brits claimed to be Collier.
One said: 'I paid for my wife and then moved to Kusadasi in my rented
apartment.'
It went on to add that the woman 'used to be a bloke'.
Speaking at the time of his arrest, Mr Caudwell said: 'Chris was one
of my first salesman when I was starting out, so I remember him well.
He was a good salesman and became a sales manager.
'It is shocking to hear he has been arrested for murder. It's shocking
to hear about any murder.'
Collier was arrested the day after the death on November 27, 2010.
During his trial, the court heard he had knocked his wife unconscious
with a hard object before smothering her.
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: 'We are
aware that a British national was sentenced to 24 years imprisonment
in Turkey on August 6.
'We will continue to provide consular assistance to him and his family
here in the UK.'
A friend of Collier, who did not want to be named, said the couple had
been married for a number of years, but had no children.
She said: 'Chris went out to Turkey to make a new start over 10 years ago.
'Julia was just the nicest girl you could ever meet.
'She was a singer, and she used to perform at the Korumar Hotel in
Kusadasi. That is where they met.
'I found out what had happened from a mutual friend in Turkey. I was
really shocked when I heard.'
A friend of Collier's mother added: 'I know Chris's mum, she is a
lovely lady and it is a shame the family have been put through this.
'He hasn't been in England for a long time but the news of his prison
term it is still a shock to the community where he used to live.'
