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| Lake death husband loses appeal | Lake death husband loses appeal |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| A man convicted of killing his wife at their French home and dumping her body in a lake has lost his appeal. | A man convicted of killing his wife at their French home and dumping her body in a lake has lost his appeal. |
| Robert Lund, 55, of Darwen, Lancashire, was originally jailed in October 2007 for 12 years for killing his wife Evelyn after a trial in Albi, France. | Robert Lund, 55, of Darwen, Lancashire, was originally jailed in October 2007 for 12 years for killing his wife Evelyn after a trial in Albi, France. |
| Mrs Lund went missing from the farmhouse they shared in the remote village of Rayssac in December 1999. Her decomposed body was found in 2001. | Mrs Lund went missing from the farmhouse they shared in the remote village of Rayssac in December 1999. Her decomposed body was found in 2001. |
| Lund denied responsibility, claiming her death was a "tragic accident". | Lund denied responsibility, claiming her death was a "tragic accident". |
| The jury of seven men and five women, along with three judges at the French court in Toulouse, took four hours to reject Lund's claim that his wife had driven into the lake by accident following a storm. | The jury of seven men and five women, along with three judges at the French court in Toulouse, took four hours to reject Lund's claim that his wife had driven into the lake by accident following a storm. |
| Heavy drinking | |
| He will continue to serve the 12-year term he was sentenced to in 2007. | He will continue to serve the 12-year term he was sentenced to in 2007. |
| The jury retired to consider its verdict on Friday afternoon but was brought back in after two hours when the presiding judge realised the defendant had not been given his final opportunity to address the court. | The jury retired to consider its verdict on Friday afternoon but was brought back in after two hours when the presiding judge realised the defendant had not been given his final opportunity to address the court. |
| Because of the oversight, Lund's defence team have been given five days to appeal to the French Cour de Cassation, which is the highest court in the French judiciary. | Because of the oversight, Lund's defence team have been given five days to appeal to the French Cour de Cassation, which is the highest court in the French judiciary. |
| Evelyn Lund's body was discovered when lake water levels dropped | |
| Lund's retrial has heard how the couple's relationship had become strained following their move to France in 1997, with Mrs Lund struggling to adjust to her new life and drinking heavily. | Lund's retrial has heard how the couple's relationship had become strained following their move to France in 1997, with Mrs Lund struggling to adjust to her new life and drinking heavily. |
| While police were unable to determine the precise events of the night of 29 December 1999, prosecutors believe Mrs Lund stormed out of the house following an argument with her husband and went to see friends. | While police were unable to determine the precise events of the night of 29 December 1999, prosecutors believe Mrs Lund stormed out of the house following an argument with her husband and went to see friends. |
| Mr Lund claims his wife never came home and two days later, he reported her missing. | Mr Lund claims his wife never came home and two days later, he reported her missing. |
| A massive search was launched but there was no sign of Mrs Lund until late 2001, when her body was found in Lake Bancalie. | A massive search was launched but there was no sign of Mrs Lund until late 2001, when her body was found in Lake Bancalie. |
| A post-mortem examination on Mrs Lund's body failed to establish the cause of death. | A post-mortem examination on Mrs Lund's body failed to establish the cause of death. |
| Freezing temperatures | |
| Lund has always maintained his innocence, saying his wife drove into the lake. | |
| An examination of the car revealed its engine was still running when it entered the lake and its gearbox was in neutral. Experts said the driver's window had also been left open, despite rain and freezing temperatures that night. | An examination of the car revealed its engine was still running when it entered the lake and its gearbox was in neutral. Experts said the driver's window had also been left open, despite rain and freezing temperatures that night. |
| Police questioned Lund at the time but he was not charged with killing his wife until November 2004. | Police questioned Lund at the time but he was not charged with killing his wife until November 2004. |
| Detectives said inconstancies in his account of events had aroused suspicions and these intensified in 2003 when he took two British journalists to the remote spot on Lake Bancalie where Mrs Lund's vehicle was found, despite claiming he had never been there. | Detectives said inconstancies in his account of events had aroused suspicions and these intensified in 2003 when he took two British journalists to the remote spot on Lake Bancalie where Mrs Lund's vehicle was found, despite claiming he had never been there. |
| The discovery of Mrs Lund's glasses at her home also played a crucial role in the inquiry, a sign, prosecutors said, that Mrs Lund had returned on the night she disappeared, contrary to her husband's claims. | The discovery of Mrs Lund's glasses at her home also played a crucial role in the inquiry, a sign, prosecutors said, that Mrs Lund had returned on the night she disappeared, contrary to her husband's claims. |
| Speaking after the verdict, Mrs Lund's brother Christopher Wilkinson said the family was "pleased" the original verdict given at the end of Lund's first trial had been upheld following his appeal. | |
| Family members will be awarded damages, with each of Mrs Lund's daughters receiving about £25,000, Maitre Herve Renier, the family's lawyer, said. | |
| Mrs Lund's two brothers, her late parents and grandchildren will also receive between £6,000 and £13,000 each. | |
| Det Supt Steve Brunskill, of Lancashire Police, who has been involved in the investigation since 2000, said he was "disappointed that the sentence was not increased" as the second trail had caused the family distress. |