Former lover suspected accused may have killed first wife

A FORMER lover who claims she suspected murder-accused Malcolm Webster might have killed his first wife has denied that her memory was tainted by what she had read on the internet.

Geraldine Oakley, 50, was giving evidence yesterday at the trial of Malcolm Webster, 51, who denies murdering his first wife Claire by drugging her with Temazepam, crashing his car on the Auchenhuive to Tarves road, Aberdeenshire on 27 or 28 May, 1994, and setting it on fire.

Last Thursday she told the court that Webster had asked her to find out if there was going to be a second autopsy on Mrs Webster, 32. She also claimed that he said Mrs Webster was on medication and had epilepsy.

Miss Oakley, in the witness box at the High Court in Glasgow for a second day, was asked by defence QC Edgar Prais: "Is it possible what you remember is a cocktail of what you remember and some of the stuff on the internet?" She replied: "No."

Miss Oakley admitted following the case on the internet, but said that her evidence was based on what she remembered.

Mr Prais then asked: "You are jumping on the bandwagon?" She replied: "No, I had these views in 1994." Miss Oakley was asked: "Are you telling us you had these views about a man who could be a murderer, and yet you were going to bed with him and cooking him smoked salmon tagliatelle?" She replied: "When you're in the middle of it you're thinking it can't quite be true when you're with someone who is charming and lovely."

Webster also denies trying to kill his second wife Felicity Drumm, in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1999, to cash in on their life insurance. He is also alleged to have formed a fraudulent scheme between 2004 and 2008 to enter into a bigamous marriage with Simone Banerjee. He denies all charges. The trial continues.