Real killer must have tried to frame me, accused tells court

Adrian Muir, 51, from Halifax, had been seeing grandmother Pamela Jackson, 55, after they met on a dating site but their relationship was rocky, a court has heard.

The drystone-waller was charged with her murder after she disappeared from her home in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, in March.

Her body was discovered 120 miles away on moors above Halifax in May – while Muir in custody.

His trial at Newcastle Crown Court, where he denies murder, has heard his phone was tracked to the area of the grave on the night she vanished, and his fingerprint was found on a bag containing flowers left on her body.

Muir, who said he knew “every inch” of Soyland Moor where he had been a beater on grouse shoots, mountain biked and ran, denies he was the man responsible.

He said footage of police searching an area of moorland had appeared on the TV news, which may have inspired the real killer to bury the body there later.

Andrew Robertson QC, prosecuting, said: “The implication must be that someone else has deliberately chosen a site that would implicate you in the murder?”

Muir replied: “That’s the only thing I can think of.”

The defendant said his fingerprints would be on many of the plastic bags in Ms Jackson’s home as he did a lot of shopping.

He bought his lover some flowers and left them on the coffee table in her house, he claimed, and said the killer must have taken them and a carrier bag to bury with the body.

Mr Robertson added: “It’s another unfortunate coincidence that this other person, whoever they may be, has not left any of their prints on either of the bags – the only discernible print is yours. That’s very bad luck.”

Muir replied: “It’s one big bad luck. It’s terrible.”

In an earlier exchange, Mr Robertson suggested to Muir that he had murdered his girlfriend after losing his temper then decided to kill himself.

Muir replied: “I am an innocent man. For you to say that is destroying me. I would never, ever do that. I have never harmed anyone in my life.”

The trial continues.