Four men 'abducted, tortured and beheaded’ missing financial adviser

Four men have appeared in court accused of abducting, torturing, and murdering missing financial adviser Lynda Spence.

David Parker, 37, Paul Smith, 46, Philip Wade, 41, and Colin Coats, 41, are alleged to have severed the tip of one of her fingers, cut off her thumb and cut off and crushed her toes with loppers.

They are also accused of punching her on the head and body, burning her on the hands with cigarettes and repeatedly striking her on the body with a hammer and golf club and failing to get her medical treatment.

It is additionally alleged that they cut off Ms Spence’s head before disposing of her body.

The accused deny the allegations against them.

They are charged with abducting 28-year-old Ms Spence from Broomhill Path, or elsewhere, in Glasgow on April 14, 2011, and driving her to a house in Meadowfoot Road, West Kilbride.

It is alleged they detained her against her will between April 14 and 28, 2011, at 114 Meadowfoot Road, West Kilbride; placed a hood over her head, blindfolded her and put tape and a gag over her mouth and tied her to a chair. It is alleged they also robbed her of an iPhone and Sim card, and repeatedly demanded she give them details about bank accounts and financial dealings.

The quartet are also accused of intent to defeat the ends of justice and attempting to defeat the ends of justice by washing and cleaning the flat at 114 Meadowfoot Road, West Kilbride. The Crown claims they lifted and removed carpets and floorboards and laid new floorboards.

Prosecutors accuse them of removing the head from Ms Spence’s corpse and disposing of her body at an unknown location in Scotland between April 14 and June 2, 2011.

Wade and Coats are alleged to have sent email and text messages to Ms Spence threatening her with violence. Wade is accused of doing this on October 1, 2010 and Coats between September 29 ,2010 and April 28, 2011. Coats is also charged with assaulting Miss Spence, of Whitworth Drive, Glasgow, on one occasion between March 14 and April 14, 2011 at Broomhill Terrace, Glasgow, or elsewhere by repeatedly handling her breasts and making remarks of a homophobic nature.

He is also accused of attempting to extort £12,000 from John Glen. It is alleged Coats showed Mr Glen a human thumb on April 26, last year, and stated it belonged to Miss Spence. And on August 15, 2011, Coats allegedly forced Mr Glen to strip off and demanded that he obtain money for him. Coats is also accused of extorting £4,500 of money, food and alcohol from Patrick Burns by threatening to shoot him or have him shot.

Wade is further accused of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by threatening to put a bullet in the back of the head of a person he believed to be a prosecution witness and rip the head off another.

Smith is alleged to have attempted to pervert the course of justice by trying to prevent two people giving statements to the police.

Smith, Wade and Parker are also charged with being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis resin between October 2010 and October 2011. Smith is also accused of being concerned in the supply of heroin.

The men denied all the charges against them.

Smith who was represented by solicitor advocate Bob Mitchell denied murdering Miss Spence. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of assaulting her, by detaining her against her will at 114 Meadowfoot Road and lopping off her toes, the tip of a finger and a thumb and burning her with cigarettes and an iron, but the plea was rejected by the Crown

Judge Lord Turnbull continued the case until July 27 at the High Court in Edinburgh for a further preliminary hearing.

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