Nat Fraser murdered his wife Arlene as she prepared for divorce

Arlene Fraser: The 33-year-old was murdered in 1998.© STV

Nat Fraser has been found guilty of ordering the murder of his wife Arlene for the second time.

The couple's marriage was in trouble when Mrs Fraser went missing from her home in Elgin, Aberdeenshire in April 1998.

Just a few months earlier, she had been attacked by her husband and ordered him out the house. In the days running up to her disappearance, Arlene had been arranging to see a lawyer to start divorce proceedings.

When she disappeared, Fraser made a public appeal for Arlene to come home, saying the children were missing her.

In January 2000, he was jailed for 18 months for the assault on his wife.

Three years later, Fraser was found guilty of her murder and was sentenced to life.

During that trial, the prosecution relied heavily on the absence of Arlene’s engagement and wedding rings from the house and the fact they reappeared. The evidence was described as a “cornerstone” of the case.

It later emerged two police officers had seen the jewellery in the bathroom on the day she went missing. That evidence had not been given to the defence.

Fraser, who had always maintained his innocence, appealed his conviction.

His appeal was rejected but last year Fraser took his case to the Supreme Court in London who ruled the conviction should be quashed.

The retrial started five weeks ago and on Wednesday, Fraser was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 17 years in prison.

IN DETAIL

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