Farmer denies visiting Arlene Fraser the day she disappeared

A man implicated in the murder of Arlene Fraser has denied having any reason to visit her on the day she disappeared.

Hector Dick has admitted selling bootleg vodka to the Elgin mother-of-two, including in the days before she went missing on April 28, 1998.

The 56-year-old farmer took to the stand on Thursday for his sixth day of giving evidence at the trial of Nat Fraser, at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Fraser is accused of murdering his wife, whose body has never been found, sometime between April and May 1998.

Fraser denies murdering his wife and claims that, if she was killed, it was Mr Dick who was responsible.

The trial has heard that police believed Mr Dick was making "a reconnaisance" trip when he sat in his burgundy Ford Sierra, parked in Mrs Fraser's driveway at Smith Street, New Elgin, a week before she vanished.

Mr Dick told the court he had called at her house on April 21 to deliver the bootleg vodka, but got no answer and dozed off in his car while waiting for her to return.

He said he returned three days later and had a cup of tea with Mrs Fraser, but she had changed her mind and wanted red wine.

Defence counsel John Scott QC suggested it may have "made sense" for Mr Dick to return to the house on the day Mrs Fraser disappeared.

The witness replied: "That is not correct." He claims he does not remember what he was doing on April 28.

The trial has already heard that in January 2003 Mr Dick stood side-by-side in the dock with Fraser, and a third man, accused of the murder.

The charge was dropped and he went on to give evidence against Fraser, a former friend who was best man at his wedding.

Fraser denies killing his estranged wife between April 28 and May 7, 1998 at the home they once shared.

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.

Fraser has lodged papers in court claiming that 14 years ago on April 28 he left the address in Burnside Road, Lhanbryde, where he was staying at about 7.30am and spent the day making van deliveries to hotels, restaurants and shops - pausing to make a phone call just after 9am.

The trial continues.

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