Lynda Spence flat ‘had new floor’ court told

Published on 04/02/2013 16:51

A room where a financial adviser was allegedly tortured and killed had “new” pieces of flooring fitted, a court heard today.

Detectives investigating the disappearance of Lynda Spence, 27, in April 2011 noticed different floorboards during a search of a flat in West Kilbride, Ayrshire.

Accused David Parker, 38, told police during questioning that the loft conversion space in his home was used to hold Ms Spence in exchange for a promised £1,500.

He and three others deny torturing the businesswoman to extract financial details, murdering her and cleaning the flat to hide evidence.

Detective Constable James McAteer, 38, from Strathclyde Police, who examined the flat in Meadowfoot Road, told the trial at the High Court in Glasgow that he noticed “a few different floorboards”.

Looking at a number of lettered floorboards shown in a photograph to the court, he said: “I felt that A, B and C had not been fitted by a tradesman but D had been.”

Owner of the flat James Dillon, 42, who rented it to Parker for several years, identified “two new pieces of flooring that I never fitted” when shown a photograph of a section of the floor.

“A, B and C are new pieces of flooring,” he said.

Mr Dillon has since sold the flat.

Parker is accused along with Colin Coats, 42, Philip Wade, 42, and Paul Smith, 47.