Remains found by police after husband confesses to murder

They were discovered close to where Adrian Prout told police he had buried her body after dramatically confessing last week to the murder.

Specialist forensic experts and cadaver dogs, some of whom were sent down from South Yorkshire Police force, have been searching woodland he led them to near a farm in Redmarley, Gloucestershire, for four days.

Prout, 49, had previously maintained that his wife disappeared in November 2007, but he was convicted of her murder in February last year.

On Friday he was brought to the farm from his prison cell in handcuffs and he led detectives to the area where he believed he had buried the 55-year-old.

Speaking at a police cordon at Cobhill woods Detective Superintendent Simon Atkinson, of Gloucestershire Police, said: “At one o’clock this afternoon we have found human remains close to the location Adrian Prout identified as the place he buried his wife.

“No formal identification has taken place; however, we have informed Kate’s family of recent developments.

“I do hope that this will be the final chapter of these harrowing events for Kate’s family.”

Prout’s admission was made to his fiancée, Debbie Garlick, a year after Mrs Prout’s family last pleaded with him to reveal the truth.

Ms Garlick told ITV Westcountry he had revealed the truth during a prison visit last week.

“He just confessed,” she said.

Asked what he said, she replied: “I am sorry, I did ...”

Today, on her way back from a prison meeting with Prout, she told the broadcaster he had not known about the discovery during her visit, and that her thoughts were with Mrs Prout’s family.

The former teacher’s relatives had expressed their shock after Prout finally revealed where he had buried her body.

The remains found by police are due to be removed with formal identification expected in the coming days.

Gloucestershire Police, who in 2007 launched one of their largest police searches to find Mrs Prout, described the search over the past four days as “challenging”.

Specialist dogs, trained to locate decomposed bodies, were taken to the site along with a body deposition expert who was flown in by helicopter.

Prout had shown officers an area of 300 square yards (250 square metres) on Redhill Farm but was unable to give her exact location.