Nat Fraser takes appeal over Arlene murder conviction to Supreme Court

The latest appeal by 52-year-old former fruit and vegetable wholesaler Nat Fraser is being heard at the Supreme Court where it is being argued that he did not receive a fair trial.

Fraser, from Elgin, Moray, Scotland, was jailed for life in 2003 after a jury found him guilty of killing his wife Arlene in April 1998, despite no body ever being found - he is serving a minimum term of 25 years.

In 2008 three senior judges at the Appeal Court in Edinburgh rejected his conviction challenge.

His lawyers had claimed he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice, arguing that vital evidence casting doubt on his guilt was withheld from his defence team.

Fraser's new appeal will be decided by five justices who will hear two days of submissions.

His QC, Maggie Scott, told Lords Hope, Rodger, Brown, Kerr and Dyson, at the start of proceedings: "The case for the appellant in my submission is relatively straightforward.

"The essential question is whether or not the appellant received a fair trial."

The basis on which it claimed he did not receive a fair trial "relates to a failure by the prosecution to disclose material information in breach of their duty to disclose, and that the effect of this non-disclosure was to render the trial unfair".

Mrs Fraser was 33 when she disappeared from her home in New Elgin, Moray, on April 28, 1998.

The disappearance led to one of the largest and most complex investigations mounted by Grampian Police, and resulted in a high-profile trial.

Members of her family, including her father Hector McInnes, are present in court today for the hearing.

The prosecution case at the appeal is being presented by Scotland's Solicitor General Frank Mulholland QC.

It is expected that the justices will reserve their decision at the conclusion of the appeal for a decision to be given at a date to be announced.