Malcolm Webster - Fatal Road Crash Never Properly Investigated

A woman whose husband allegedly tried to kill her sought medical help for "unrousable" sleep and double vision, a murder trial has heard.

Malcolm Webster, 51, denies crashing a car in a bid to kill his second wife Felicity Drumm in New Zealand in 1999.

Mr Webster also denies murdering his first wife Claire Morris in 1994 in Aberdeenshire for insurance money.

GP Julie Hancock told the High Court in Glasgow that Ms Drumm consulted her about the symptoms in May 1997.

Speaking via a link from New Zealand, the doctor said Ms Drumm complained of three episodes of "unrousable" sleep and double vision.

Dr Hancock, 48, told the court the symptoms were unusual, and that she had not seen anyone complaining of that combination of symptoms before then.

Asked if she had seen them since, Dr Hancock said: "In the context of someone who has been out in a nightclub and thinks someone has spiked their drink."

Dr Hancock was asked what the purpose of the consultation was and replied: "She said she had three episodes which happened at night.

"She was unrousable, very tired and had double vision. One episode lasted 36 hours before she woke up.

"There wasn't anything I could put my finger on. She appeared fit and healthy.

Mr Webster, of Guildford, Surrey, also denies intending to bigamously marry Simone Banarjee, from Oban, Argyll, to gain access to her estate.

The trial continues

A man accused of murdering his wife in a car crash told a prosecutor he did not kill her, a court has heard.

Malcolm Webster, 51, of Surrey, denies murdering his first wife Claire Morris in Aberdeenshire in 1994 for insurance money.

He also denies crashing a car in a bid to kill his second wife Felicity Drumm in New Zealand in 1999.

The High Court in Glasgow heard Mr Webster said at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in 2009: "I didn't kill my wife."

The jury was read a transcript of his judicial examination in front of a sheriff.

Mr Webster was then asked if he had anything to say about the allegation that he tried to kill Ms Drumm.

He replied: "There was no accident sir. I had a problem with the car.

"I can't remember, it was 10 years ago. It was either careless or dangerous driving and the ticket was revoked a week later."

Mr Webster, of Guildford, also denies intending to bigamously marry Simone Banarjee, from Oban, Argyll, to gain access to her estate.

A report into the murders of Dr Harold Shipman was found on the computer of a man accused of murdering his wife, a trial has heard.

Malcolm Webster, 51, of Surrey, denies murdering his first wife Claire Morris in Aberdeenshire in 1994 for insurance.

He also denies crashing a car in a bid to kill his second wife Felicity Drumm in New Zealand in 1999.

The High Court in Glasgow heard the documents related to Mr Webster's degree studies.

The court heard a link to the Shipman inquiry site was also found.

Under cross examination, Det Con Brian Moggach, a forensic computer analyst from Grampian Police, agreed documents recovered from Mr Webster's computer related to his degree in health care law.

His dissertation was titled "Will we see euthanasia or assisting dying become law in the UK".

Mr Webster, of Guildford, also denies intending to bigamously marry Simone Banarjee, from Oban, Argyll, to gain access to her estate.

The trial continues

A husband has denied murdering his first wife and attempting to murder his second as he gave evidence for the first time in a long-running trial.

Malcolm Webster, 52, from Guildford, Surrey, denies murdering his first wife Claire Morris in a crash in Aberdeenshire in 1994.

He also denies attempting to kill Felicity Drumm in New Zealand in 1999.

Mr Webster told the High Court in Glasgow he had not acted for "ill-gotten gains" through life insurance.

Advocate depute Derek Ogg QC, prosecuting, described the death of Claire Morris as a "cold-blooded, premeditated, carefully-planned murder that went precisely according to plan".

Mr Webster replied: "I'm telling you it was not a murder, it was a tragic accident."

Mr Ogg told Mr Webster: "All the facts in this case that have been painstakingly researched and spoken to become a blizzard that blows in one direction - you are as guilty as sin of murdering Claire."

He replied: "I didn't murder Claire."

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“
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It's the only safe place to murder a second wife, the other end of the world”
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Derek Ogg QC

Advocate depute
He told the court: "I was avoiding a motorcyclist, the lights of a motorcyclist, on my way back to the cottage.

"I swerved to the left, that's all I can remember of the situation. I know that I didn't hit the motorcyclist."

Defence counsel Edgar Prais QC asked: "Did you stage the accident so that you could murder your wife?"

Mr Webster replied: "No, I did not."

Mr Prais then asked: "Did you take out insurance policies so that, having murdered your wife, you could reap your ill-gotten gains?"

Mr Webster said: "No."

'Make the connection'

Mr Prais asked of the New Zealand crash: "Did you deliberately leave the road?"

He said: "Yes, because I was on my way with Felicity, we were going to the bank and I knew that there were no funds there."

Mr Webster said he did not want to kill or hurt his wife.

Mr Ogg said there were similarities between the two crashes.

He said: "That's why you had to go to the other end of the world to carry it out, so that someone like me could not make the connection.

"It's the only safe place to murder a second wife, the other end of the world."

The trial, which began on 1 February before judge Lord Bannatyne, continues.

A man accused of murdering his first wife and attempting to kill his second has denied being motivated by money.

Malcolm Webster, 52, of Guildford, Surrey, denies murdering Claire Morris in a crash in Aberdeenshire in 1994 for the insurance payout.

He also denies attempting to kill Felicity Drumm in New Zealand in 1999 for the same reason.

Giving evidence for a second day at the High Court in Glasgow, Mr Webster said he had not acted out of greed.

Mr Webster also denies intending to bigamously marry Simone Banarjee, from Oban, Argyll, to gain access to her estate.

Advocate depute Derek Ogg QC, prosecuting, asked: "The position in the bizarre world of Malcolm Webster includes the deliberate and callous targeting of women - your first wife, your second wife and Simone Banarjee - the grooming of them for your own vicious, greedy ends.

"It has nothing to do with love, but all to do with money, it's the most base motive for murder and that is what the evidence shows, is it not?"

Mr Webster replied: "No sir."

Mr Ogg then said: "You are a murderer and set out to murder your second wife."

'Already married'

The accused replied: "No sir."

Mr Webster also told the court that he never told Ms Drumm she have "died happy", as she claimed when she accused him of trying to kill her.

Referring to the charge of attempted bigamy, Mr Ogg told Mr Webster: "There was no record in the UK of you being married to Felicity Drumm."

He replied: "First of all, I wouldn't have married her. I was already married at the time."

Mr Webster claimed that Oban, where he and Miss Banarjee both lived and worked, was such a small place that she would eventually have found out he was married.

The court heard he bought her an engagement ring.

The trial, which began on 1 February before judge Lord Bannatyne, continues.

A crash in which a woman died was not completely investigated, a murder trial has heard.

Malcolm Webster, 52, denies murdering Claire Morris in a crash in Aberdeenshire in 1994 for the insurance payout.

Mr Webster, of Surrey, also denies attempting to kill Felicity Drumm in New Zealand in 1999.

Expert witness John Marshall told the High Court in Glasgow other matters could have been investigated.

Mr Marshall, who was a police officer before setting up his own crash investigation company, said that he was not surprised the fatal incident was recorded as an accident in 1994.

Mr Marshall said there was no way of accurately reconstructing the crash in which Mr Webster's wife died.

Defence counsel Edgar Prais QC asked: "Why is that?"

He replied: "From a reconstruction point of view there is an absence of physical marks and marks on the road."

Malcolm Webster denies the various charges against him Mr Prais said: "Are you saying there is no physical factor on the road which would allow anyone to track the path the vehicle took?"

Mr Marshall replied: "That was my finding."

Mr Prais asked: "Were you surprised that the police who investigated this in 1994 put this down to an accident?"

Mr Marshall said: "I was not surprised it had been marked down as an accident, but I was surprised other things had not been done in the investigation."

During cross-examination, advocate depute Derek Ogg QC, prosecuting, said to Mr Marshall: "You are not able to assist the jury with this question - did Malcolm Webster murder his wife?"

Mr Marshall replied: "That's correct."

Mr Webster, of Guildford, also denies intending to bigamously marry Simone Banarjee, from Oban, Argyll, to gain access to her estate.

The trial, which began on 1 February before judge Lord Bannatyne, continues on Thursday.