Fake emails claim at murder trial

Feb 21 2013

A missing woman alleged to have been murdered may have created fake email addresses for two people she said were involved in one of her business deals, a court has heard.

Emails were sent from Lynda Spence's account to someone known as "Uncle Ben", said to be in Qatar, and an "Adam Grange", said to be in London, copying in Colin Coats - one of the men accused of murdering her.

The High Court in Glasgow heard that the address for "Uncle Ben" was set up in March 2011, using the broadband internet connected to the Rio Cafe in Partick, Glasgow.

Derek Ogg QC, defending Coats, asked witness Detective Constable Terry Graham if he was aware, from his inquiries into Ms Spence's disappearance, that the Rio Cafe was known among her friends as "Lynda's Partick office". The detective said that was correct.

It was agreed by all parties at the trial that emails sent and received by "Adam Grange" were accessed using a BT internet connection at PC Pixel in Great Western Road, Glasgow. Mr Ogg said: "Putting this in context, 'Uncle Ben', 'Adam Grange' and Lynda Spence are all one and the same person, isn't that right?" Dc Graham replied: "Yes."

Emails were read out to the jury, which was a conversation between Coats and a solicitor that "Uncle Ben" had claimed was organising Ms Spence and the accused man's "power of attorney" as part of a deal.

However, a reply from the solicitor said the firm had no-one named Ben from Qatar on their books, and that they had never acted for him.

Coats, Philip Wade, both 42, David Parker, 38, and Paul Smith, 47, have pleaded not guilty to abducting, torturing and murdering Ms Spence.

They deny beating her, burning her with cigarettes and an iron and cutting off her thumb in a bid to extract financial information from her.

The trial before Lord Pentland continues on Friday.