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| Nat Fraser sentenced to 17 years for murder of his wife | Nat Fraser sentenced to 17 years for murder of his wife |
| (10 months later) | |
| A "possessive and controlling" businessman who arranged the murder of his estranged wife after she began divorce proceedings has been jailed for life following a retrial. | A "possessive and controlling" businessman who arranged the murder of his estranged wife after she began divorce proceedings has been jailed for life following a retrial. |
| Nat Fraser was ordered to spend at least 17 years in prison for killing mother-of-two Arlene Fraser, whose body has never been found. | Nat Fraser was ordered to spend at least 17 years in prison for killing mother-of-two Arlene Fraser, whose body has never been found. |
| Mrs Fraser was 33 when she vanished without trace from her home in New Elgin, Moray, on April 28 1998. | Mrs Fraser was 33 when she vanished without trace from her home in New Elgin, Moray, on April 28 1998. |
| Fraser, 53, was convicted of "instructing, instigating and organising" her murder after a fresh trial lasting more than five weeks at the high court in Edinburgh. | Fraser, 53, was convicted of "instructing, instigating and organising" her murder after a fresh trial lasting more than five weeks at the high court in Edinburgh. |
| The trial heard claims the former fruit and vegetable wholesaler admitted to paying a hitman £15,000 to kill her and said his wife's body had been burned. He was originally found guilty of the killing in 2003 but his conviction was quashed last year and a fresh trial was granted after the UK supreme court ruled that the initial conviction was unsafe. | The trial heard claims the former fruit and vegetable wholesaler admitted to paying a hitman £15,000 to kill her and said his wife's body had been burned. He was originally found guilty of the killing in 2003 but his conviction was quashed last year and a fresh trial was granted after the UK supreme court ruled that the initial conviction was unsafe. |
| Judge Lord Bracadale spoke of the "shocking and wicked nature" of Fraser's crime. He said: "The evidence indicated that at some point before the 28 April 1998 you arranged for someone to kill your wife Arlene and dispose of her body. | Judge Lord Bracadale spoke of the "shocking and wicked nature" of Fraser's crime. He said: "The evidence indicated that at some point before the 28 April 1998 you arranged for someone to kill your wife Arlene and dispose of her body. |
| "Thus you instigated in cold blood the premeditated murder of your wife and mother of your children, then aged 10 and five years. The killer must have known that Mrs Fraser would be at home alone on a Tuesday morning and that information must have come from you. | "Thus you instigated in cold blood the premeditated murder of your wife and mother of your children, then aged 10 and five years. The killer must have known that Mrs Fraser would be at home alone on a Tuesday morning and that information must have come from you. |
| "The murder and disposal of the body must have been carried out with ruthless efficiency for there has not been a trace of Arlene Fraser from that day to this and her bereft family continue to live without any satisfactory knowledge of what happened to her remains." | "The murder and disposal of the body must have been carried out with ruthless efficiency for there has not been a trace of Arlene Fraser from that day to this and her bereft family continue to live without any satisfactory knowledge of what happened to her remains." |
| Fraser has spent the past 14 years denying that he murdered his wife but Wednesday's verdict means he has once again failed in his bid to escape justice. | Fraser has spent the past 14 years denying that he murdered his wife but Wednesday's verdict means he has once again failed in his bid to escape justice. |
| The killer was on bail for part of the appeal process but has still spent almost eight years behind bars for the murder. | The killer was on bail for part of the appeal process but has still spent almost eight years behind bars for the murder. |
| During the 27-day trial, the jury heard that Mrs Fraser disappeared shortly after seeing her two children – Jamie and Natalie – off to school. | During the 27-day trial, the jury heard that Mrs Fraser disappeared shortly after seeing her two children – Jamie and Natalie – off to school. |
| She had been due to see her solicitor that day to discuss her plans to divorce her husband after the marriage turned sour and the pair separated the previous month. | She had been due to see her solicitor that day to discuss her plans to divorce her husband after the marriage turned sour and the pair separated the previous month. |
| The jury were not told that the decision was prompted by an incident at the family home in which Fraser gripped his wife by the neck. He was later jailed for 18 months after admitting a charge of assault. | The jury were not told that the decision was prompted by an incident at the family home in which Fraser gripped his wife by the neck. He was later jailed for 18 months after admitting a charge of assault. |
| The disappearance was first noticed by her friend, Michelle Scott, who went to the house later that morning to pick Mrs Fraser up for lunch. | The disappearance was first noticed by her friend, Michelle Scott, who went to the house later that morning to pick Mrs Fraser up for lunch. |
| The home appeared to have been abandoned suddenly. The vacuum cleaner was plugged in and the washing machine had been used, although her medication for the bowel condition Crohn's disease, glasses and contact lenses remained in the house. | The home appeared to have been abandoned suddenly. The vacuum cleaner was plugged in and the washing machine had been used, although her medication for the bowel condition Crohn's disease, glasses and contact lenses remained in the house. |
| By the time Jamie came home from a field trip that evening, fears were growing for Mrs Fraser's safety and her neighbours called the police. The 10-year-old left a poignant note at the house for his mother, asking: "Where are U?". | By the time Jamie came home from a field trip that evening, fears were growing for Mrs Fraser's safety and her neighbours called the police. The 10-year-old left a poignant note at the house for his mother, asking: "Where are U?". |
| Over the next two days, Mrs Fraser's family arrived in Elgin. The search quickly became a high-profile hunt but there was no trace of her. Family members were soon struck by the fact that Fraser never seemed to inquire about where she was. Days later, the victim's mother would confront Fraser and demand to know if he had "done anything" to her. | Over the next two days, Mrs Fraser's family arrived in Elgin. The search quickly became a high-profile hunt but there was no trace of her. Family members were soon struck by the fact that Fraser never seemed to inquire about where she was. Days later, the victim's mother would confront Fraser and demand to know if he had "done anything" to her. |
| The case against Fraser was a circumstantial one, but prosecutors insisted it was none the weaker for it. Alex Prentice QC likened the individual pieces of evidence to the strands of a cable which, although not strong individually, gain their strength when put together. | The case against Fraser was a circumstantial one, but prosecutors insisted it was none the weaker for it. Alex Prentice QC likened the individual pieces of evidence to the strands of a cable which, although not strong individually, gain their strength when put together. |
| Urging the jury to convict, he argued that Fraser was the only person in the world with the motive to kill his wife of 11 years. "It is a case involving a possessive, controlling man who could not bear to see his young wife apart from him, who could not bear the thought of his wife with another man, who could not bear the thought of another man bringing up his children, who could not bear to part with the money which was so important to him," said Prentice. | Urging the jury to convict, he argued that Fraser was the only person in the world with the motive to kill his wife of 11 years. "It is a case involving a possessive, controlling man who could not bear to see his young wife apart from him, who could not bear the thought of his wife with another man, who could not bear the thought of another man bringing up his children, who could not bear to part with the money which was so important to him," said Prentice. |
| "These thoughts festered in his head and gnawed at him to such an extent that he organised the murder of his wife." | "These thoughts festered in his head and gnawed at him to such an extent that he organised the murder of his wife." |
| Fraser had a cast-iron alibi for that day, spending it delivering fruit and vegetables with a colleague to local businesses and deliberately making a phone call to another woman on the way. | Fraser had a cast-iron alibi for that day, spending it delivering fruit and vegetables with a colleague to local businesses and deliberately making a phone call to another woman on the way. |
| But the crown never argued that Fraser actually carried out the killing himself. Instead, he "instructed, instigated and organised the murder of his wife". | But the crown never argued that Fraser actually carried out the killing himself. Instead, he "instructed, instigated and organised the murder of his wife". |
| The evidence suggested that Mrs Fraser was killed between 9.41am and 11am on the day she vanished, probably within the first 15 minutes. | The evidence suggested that Mrs Fraser was killed between 9.41am and 11am on the day she vanished, probably within the first 15 minutes. |
| Fraser insisted she had gone missing and claimed she had run off with a few hundred pounds stashed in a bedroom air vent. But a succession of witnesses described Mrs Fraser as a fantastic mother who would never have abandoned her children. | Fraser insisted she had gone missing and claimed she had run off with a few hundred pounds stashed in a bedroom air vent. But a succession of witnesses described Mrs Fraser as a fantastic mother who would never have abandoned her children. |
| Over the weeks, the evidence stacked up against Fraser, who was said to have believed his divorce would cost him £86,000. There were signs of disharmony in the marriage over the years. Mrs Fraser told her solicitor that Fraser had been recording her telephone calls and he seemed most interested in getting hold of the car. | Over the weeks, the evidence stacked up against Fraser, who was said to have believed his divorce would cost him £86,000. There were signs of disharmony in the marriage over the years. Mrs Fraser told her solicitor that Fraser had been recording her telephone calls and he seemed most interested in getting hold of the car. |
| He kept his wife believing there was a mortgage on the house, knowing full well there was none in place. Mrs Fraser also believed her estranged husband was stalking her, the court heard. | He kept his wife believing there was a mortgage on the house, knowing full well there was none in place. Mrs Fraser also believed her estranged husband was stalking her, the court heard. |
| In a chilling prophecy, Fraser told her weeks before she vanished: "If you are not going to live with me, you will not be living with anyone." | In a chilling prophecy, Fraser told her weeks before she vanished: "If you are not going to live with me, you will not be living with anyone." |
| Around the time she was being killed, Fraser was spotted pacing around and his hands were shaking. As the days wore on in the search for her, the family were frantically hoping for information but Fraser seemed "calm, collected, not fussed". | Around the time she was being killed, Fraser was spotted pacing around and his hands were shaking. As the days wore on in the search for her, the family were frantically hoping for information but Fraser seemed "calm, collected, not fussed". |
| Within days, he was back to his normal self and made bad-taste remarks, including one incident when he held up a toy moustache and joked it was the disguise the missing woman used to run away. | Within days, he was back to his normal self and made bad-taste remarks, including one incident when he held up a toy moustache and joked it was the disguise the missing woman used to run away. |
| He also told her father that the children would "soon forget their mother", when nobody else knew she was dead. | He also told her father that the children would "soon forget their mother", when nobody else knew she was dead. |
| A former police officer said the inaction shown by Fraser when his wife was missing was unique in his 40 years with the force. | A former police officer said the inaction shown by Fraser when his wife was missing was unique in his 40 years with the force. |
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