 |
| Bob Rose |
17 February 2010
The Daily Express
Rod Mills
Detectives called in Madeleine hunt expert
A man accused of murder on an Orkney island led police to sand dunes where the victim was buried but blamed his friend for the killing, a court heard yesterday.
Detective Constable Neil Docherty was giving evidence in the trial of John Campbell and Stephen Crummack, who deny murdering Robert Rose, 54, on Sanday.
DC Docherty told the High Court in Glasgow that Crummack led officers to the dunes days before the exact burial site was discovered. A sniffer dog brought in to find the body was used in the search for missing Madeleine McCann in Portugal in May 2007.
FBI consultant Martin Grime told the court he and his springer spaniel, Eddie, who also helped probe the Soham murders in 2002, were called in by Northern Constabulary in the hunt for Mr Rose, who disappeared on June 6 last year.
Campbell, 59, and Crummack, 51, are accused of murdering Mr Rose on Sanday last June and burying his body in sand dunes.
DC Docherty said: "Mr Crummack took us to the area where Bob Rose's remains were deposited."
The officer told the court Crummack said he had gone inside Mr Rose's cottage and seen Mr Campbell, known as Jack, leaning over the bed, shaking.
The officer said: "He said he could see Bob Rose was lying face up on the bed and Jack was shaking. He noticed there was blood on Bob's face and mouth. He thought Bob was dead.
"I asked what happened and Mr Crummack replied:
'I don't know. We were going to say it was self-defence'."
Donald Findlay QC, representing Campbell, asked: "What he is trying to do is stitch up Mr Campbell, that is what it amounts to?"
DC Docherty replied: "I wouldn't say that."
Mr Findlay then said: "At no point did Mr Crummack express one word of remorse for his friend, whose body he also knows has been dumped like a bag of rubbish in the sand dunes."
DC Docherty replied: "No." Campbell and Crummack deny murdering Mr Rose and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
The trial continues.
Previous Article
