Arlene Fraser murder trial: “Nat Fraser only man with motive” - court hears

A JURY has been asked to convict a businessman of the pre-meditated murder of his estranged wife, after being told that he was the only person in the world with the motive to kill her.

Nat Fraser was a “possessive, controlling” individual who could not bear the thought of wife Arlene with another man, the High Court in Edinburgh heard.

The fruit and vegetable wholesaler “instructed, instigated and organised” her murder, but did not carry out the killing himself, the prosecution said.

Mrs Fraser, a 33-year-old mother-of-two, of New Elgin, Moray, vanished on 28 April, 1998 and has not been seen since.

Fraser, 53, who has been on trial for five weeks, denies acting with others to murder her.

The jury heard yesterday from advocate depute Alex Prentice, QC, as he summed up the Crown’s case.

He pointed to the evidence of one of Mrs Fraser’s friends. “ ‘If you are not going to live with me, you will not be living with anyone’. Ladies and gentlemen, those chillingly prophetic words, uttered by Nat Fraser to Arlene Fraser, were conveyed to you by Marion Taylor. Those words, in part, sum up this case.

“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.

“These thoughts festered in his head and gnawed at him to such an extent that he organised the murder of his wife.”

Asking the jury to convict Fraser, Mr Prentice argued it was a case of pre-meditated murder.

He said that there was “only one person in the entire world” who had a motive to kill Mrs Fraser.

“I suggested that this is a case of pre-meditated murder and, if that is right, pre-meditated murder requires a motive,” he told the court. “I submit to you there is nobody in the world other than Nat Fraser who had the motive.”

On the evidence, it was “quite an easy task” to conclude that Mrs Fraser was dead, the QC said. He also brushed aside the possibility that Mrs Fraser could have committed suicide, chose to leave her family, or had a medical problem.

He pointed to evidence that she was a “fantastic mother” who would not have abandoned her children.

The jury did not need to “trouble themselves” too much with Fraser’s alibi for the Tuesday when his wife vanished, Mr Prentice also suggested.

Concluding, he told the jury: “I urge you to analyse, probe, test, challenge, test again the Crown case. Challenge the things I say to you. But … once you have done that, you will find that justice requires one outcome, and I ask you to find Nat Fraser guilty of the murder of Arlene Fraser.”

The trial continues on Monday.