Man 'tried to burn wife's body in incinerator'
A company director murdered his cheating wife and tried to hire an incinerator from a pet cemetery to dispose of her body, a UK court has heard.
Martin Hale is accused of killing wife Maureen at their home in Surrey, in England's south east, 10 years ago. He allegedly told their five children she had simply walked out on them.
Mrs Hale's body has never been found since she disappeared in June 1999 — but Hale was arrested last year following a review of the case, the UK newspaper the Telegraph reports.
Prosecutors at the Kingston Crown Court in London say that Hale, who allegedly beat his 42-year-old wife after finding out about a liaison with their plumber and another man, feared that he would lose everything after she filed for divorce.
Hale, a "habitual" note-taker, wrote to himself: "Now Maureen says she does not love me anymore but she'd like to keep the £300,000 (A$641,000) house, all the children, and an income to keep her and the children in the style she has become accustomed to. i.e nice car, money, no job and friends to visit and have coffee with".
Prosecutors say Hale murdered his wife of 14 years as four of their children slept in their house.
In another note found in his briefcase, Hale allegedly reveals how he planned to get rid of the body: "1. At Sea 2. By fire 3. By acid 4. Landsite."
The court heard: "He had clearly contemplated the disposal of her at sea, or destroyed her body by fire, or dumped her in a landfill or had her body dissolved in acid."
At one point Hale, 51, the director of a successful fruit and vegetable wholesale business, approached a friend who ran a pet cemetery and asked if he could pay $43,000 to hire an incinerator, but was refused, prosecutors say.
Hale told police only that his wife walked out of their home late one night, after announcing she was "going out", and never returned. She left behind all her personal possessions including her handbag, telephone and car keys.
Mrs Hale had earlier filed to divorce her husband, who she described as a workaholic and a heavy drinker, the court heard.
The housewife allegedly told friends she wanted to leave Hale for a 28-year-old gardener with whom she was having an affair.
She also once said her husband flew into a rage and hit her when he found out she also dated their plumber.
The day after her disappearance Hale failed to show for work without explanation, the court heard. That weekend he allegedly borrowed an employee's car and took a shovel from his workplace, returning both on Monday.
The trial continues.
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