Witnesses cast doubt on murder suspect's story of his whereabouts
Witnesses have cast doubt on the movements of an undertaker accused of murdering his wife on the day he reported her missing from their home on the Shropshire border.
John Taylor, 61, denies murdering Alethea Taylor and disposing of her body.
The popular 63-year-old retired primary school teacher disappeared without trace on January 19, 2012 and nobody has seen or heard from her since.
Taylor's account is that he left his wife eating breakfast at their bungalow in Mortimer Drive in the village of Orleton, near Ludlow, at about 8.45am on the morning she went missing. He claims to have later returned home at about 10.45am, but only to go into the garage, and without entering the house.
Taylor alleges he then drove to another house he was renovating in nearby Leominster and got back home at 4pm, finding the house empty and the front door ajar.
However the jury at Worcester Crown Court heard from Mercedes Mason, who recalled seeing Taylor by his car in his driveway at 10.10am, half an hour before he claimed to have returned home. Mrs Mason, who was walking to her tai chi class at the village hall when she saw Taylor, said he was 'stood outside, at the rear of his car, with the rear passenger door fully open'.
Michael Burrows, prosecuting, asked: "What was he doing?" and Mrs Mason replied he had the 'nozzle of a vacuum cleaner in his hand'.
She recalled saying 'good morning, what a lovely day' and that Taylor had replied with 'yes it is', 'or words to that effect'.
Ignatius Hughes, for the defence, asked if she had mixed up her dates, suggesting it could have been another day, to which she replied: "No, it could not." Another tai chi class members said Mrs Mason had arrived at the class between 10.20am and 10.25am that day.
Brian Holland, who works at the tip in Leominster, said he saw Taylor emptying 'plastic bags, like compost bags' there at about 2.20pm that day, saying the sacks were full of 'rubble and cardboard'.
However, Taylor's car was then captured on police vehicle cameras back in Leominster and then again by the tip's own CCTV entering the site at 4.19pm that day, 20 minutes after he said he had got home.
The trial continues.
