Police officers clashed over rings seen at Arlene Fraser's home

The Arlene Fraser murder trial has heard police officers were divided over the importance of three of her rings which mysteriously turned up nine days after she went missing.

The mother-of two's wedding ring, engagement ring and eternity ring became key pieces of evidence against husband Nat Fraser, the High Court in Edinburgh has heard.

Fruit and veg wholesaler Fraser, 53, from Elgin, Moray, denies murdering his estranged wife, whose body has never been found.

Cathy McInness, 75, says the rings mysteriously appeared in the bathroom of her step-daughter's Elgin home nine days after Arlene vanished on April 28, 1998.

But PC Julie Clark, 43, told the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday that she had seen the rings within hours of Arlene being reported missing.

PC Clark said it was only much later that the rings appeared to have any significance for the inquiry team.

She recalled a conversation with Detective Sergeant William Robertson in Elgin police station. Mr Robertson, 58, has since retired from Grampian Police.

"He suggested I was mistaken about seeing the jewellery," PC Clark said.

The trial heard that PC Clark and her colleague PC Neil Lynch, 59, were sent to make regular checks on the Smith Street house.

She said they were looking for signs of Arlene. They checked all the rooms, including the bathroom.

PC Clark said she saw at least two rings on a dowel peg under a shelf over a wash-hand basin, but she didn't form an opinion about what sort of rings they were.

Are you in any doubt about what you saw?" asked defence QC John Scott. "None whatsoever," PC Clark told him."

He asked: "Did it occur to you to remove this jewellery and take it back to the police station?"

PC Clark replied at the time the search for Arlene was a missing person inquiry and she did not attach any significance to seeing the rings.

After the sighting she attended one briefing and did not mention the rings. She then went off sick and played no further part in the inquiry.

Fraser, 53, denies attacking Arlene, 33, between April 28 and May 7, 1998 at the home they once shared in Smith Street, New Elgin, or elsewhere in Scotland. It is alleged that he strangled her or murdered her "by other means to the prosecutor unknown".

The indictment against Fraser says he knew Arlene had seen a solicitor about divorcing him and getting a cash pay-off.

He has lodged defences of alibi and incrimination.

The trial is expected to move into its closing stages on Friday as the defence case formally closed. Lawyers are preparing to give their closing speeches to jurors. Judge Lord Bracadale told the eight women and seven men he expected to be asking them to consider their verdict on Tuesday.

The trial continues.

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