Horticulture teacher Lynda Casey lived a mysterious triple life keeping her husband and two lovers unaware of each other, the Old Bailey heard.

Lynda Casey, from south Croydon, was lured to Banstead Woods where she was attacked by her married lover Peter Ling after he quizzed her about another affair, the jury was told.

The 54-year-old horticultural teacher’s naked body was found partially covered with leaves in Banstead Woods on August 13, two days after being reported missing by her family.

Mrs Casey, who taught at the Sutton College of Learning for Adults (Scola), had suffered “massive damage to her forehead, face and skull consistent with blunt force trauma”, the jury heard.

The court heard that in addition to being married, although estranged, to her second husband Anthony Wisby, Mrs Casey was also seeing two other men, both married.

She had started having an ongoing “sexual relationship” with Ian Tolfrey as early as 2004 and began another affair with the defendant, Mr Ling, in 2007.

Neither man knew about the lover but Mr Ling found out about Mr Tolfrey after Mrs Casey forgot to log off from an email account she had used at his house.

Having realised, through reading her intimate emails, that his mistress was seeing another man, he confronted her in Banstead Woods.

When the 54-year-old died, she was still married to her second husband Mr Wisby but had three daughters, Emma, Charlotte and Jennifer, by her first husband Alan Casey.

According to her youngest daughter Emma de Waal, who described her mother as “her best friend”, Mrs Casey and Mr Wisby slept in separate bedrooms at their Coulsdon home.

Mrs de Waal told the court she used to let her mother use her flat to see Mr Tolfrey.

She added her mother was “a very busy lady” and would keep rigidly to her weekly routine.

This included seeing Mr Ling and Mr Tolfrey numerous times each week plus her two jobs, at Parkside doctor’s surgery, in south Croydon and an adult learning college in Sutton.

After her mother’s death Mrs de Waal said she saw an “explicit” photo of Mr Tolfrey which was clearly taken from the main bedroom in her flat.

She said this made her “unhappy” because she realised her mother and Mr Tolfrey were having sex at her flat.

She revealed Mrs Casey had also had previous affairs with other men and had been away “for the odd weekend” with Mr Ling.

Mr Ling denies murder.

The trial continues.