Woman in hut cleared of murder

A WOMAN who lived in her lover's garden shed has been cleared of murdering his wife.

Rita Heyster, 57, was accused of acting with Harry Jarvis, 61, in the killing of Carol Jarvis, 47, at the couple's home in Bathgate, West Lothian.

However, the trial judge, Lord Brailsford, ruled there was insufficient evidence against Heyster and he acquitted her at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Heyster, of Livingston, is still charged with attempting to defeat the ends of justice by hiding the body in a blanket, in the house's cellar. She blames Jarvis for any crime against his wife.

The court has heard that Mrs Jarvis kept poor health and was sometimes bedridden. Her husband, also known as James, had a history of affairs but she was besotted with him and had always taken him back.

Her body was found in September 2009. Pathologists could not say how she died.

The jury was told that in the weeks before Mrs Jarvis's death, Heyster had been staying in a hut in the back garden of the couple's home, and sneaking indoors on occasions.

A neighbour and friend, Jacqueline Stewart, 49, said she had seen Heyster in the hut, and, later, Jarvis and Heyster leaving the house, hand in hand.