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| Version 5 | Version 6 |
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| Killer jailed over missing friend | Killer jailed over missing friend |
| (11 minutes later) | |
| A man who battered a friend to death more than a decade ago then buried his body in a field has been jailed for 10 years. | A man who battered a friend to death more than a decade ago then buried his body in a field has been jailed for 10 years. |
| Thomas Pryde, 38, from Perthshire, said he attacked 46-year-old lorry driver Adam Alexander with a metal pole, after a row in 1999. | |
| Despite police searches, no trace of Mr Alexander's body has been found. | Despite police searches, no trace of Mr Alexander's body has been found. |
| Pryde earlier admitted culpable homicide. The judge described the killing as a "most disturbing crime". | Pryde earlier admitted culpable homicide. The judge described the killing as a "most disturbing crime". |
| The father-of-one was finally brought to justice after confessing to his wife during a drunken holiday row years later. | The father-of-one was finally brought to justice after confessing to his wife during a drunken holiday row years later. |
| Pryde told officers where he buried the body but a large-scale search in 2008 failed to find any trace of Mr Alexander. | Pryde told officers where he buried the body but a large-scale search in 2008 failed to find any trace of Mr Alexander. |
| The court heard that Pryde, who ran a plumbing business based in Scone, Perthshire, said that he had gone to Mr Alexander's home in Errol to discuss a business deal but a row had broken out. | The court heard that Pryde, who ran a plumbing business based in Scone, Perthshire, said that he had gone to Mr Alexander's home in Errol to discuss a business deal but a row had broken out. |
| He said he had "lost the plot" and picked up a metal bar before repeatedly hitting his victim until he died. | He said he had "lost the plot" and picked up a metal bar before repeatedly hitting his victim until he died. |
| Adam Alexander was reported missing in 1999 | Adam Alexander was reported missing in 1999 |
| He claimed that he then panicked and buried the body in a field beside Errol brickworks. | He claimed that he then panicked and buried the body in a field beside Errol brickworks. |
| Mr Alexander was reported missing after he failed to turn up for a meeting with a possible buyer for his motorbike in November 1999. | Mr Alexander was reported missing after he failed to turn up for a meeting with a possible buyer for his motorbike in November 1999. |
| At the High Court in Edinburgh, sentencing Pryde to 10 years, judge Lord Bracadale told him: "This happened in 1999 and to this day the body of Mr Alexander has never been found, despite efforts which you have at least made - and continue to make - to assist in that regard. | At the High Court in Edinburgh, sentencing Pryde to 10 years, judge Lord Bracadale told him: "This happened in 1999 and to this day the body of Mr Alexander has never been found, despite efforts which you have at least made - and continue to make - to assist in that regard. |
| "The anxiety which his disappearance must have caused to his family, and years of not knowing what happened to him, and now the knowledge that his body lies somewhere on waste ground, must all be very hard to bear." | "The anxiety which his disappearance must have caused to his family, and years of not knowing what happened to him, and now the knowledge that his body lies somewhere on waste ground, must all be very hard to bear." |
| Pryde is currently serving a five-year sentence for a drive-by shooting at the home of a business rival. | Pryde is currently serving a five-year sentence for a drive-by shooting at the home of a business rival. |
| He admitted firing two shots at the home of plumbing boss Steve Stewart in 2004. | He admitted firing two shots at the home of plumbing boss Steve Stewart in 2004. |
| The latest case is the first time since Nat Fraser was jailed in 2003 for murdering his wife Arlene that an accused in Scotland has been convicted of a killing where the victim has never been found. | The latest case is the first time since Nat Fraser was jailed in 2003 for murdering his wife Arlene that an accused in Scotland has been convicted of a killing where the victim has never been found. |