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| Man accused of wife's lake murder | Man accused of wife's lake murder |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| A British man murdered his wife and dumped her body in a lake so he could take over their farmhouse and live off her life insurance, a court has heard. | A British man murdered his wife and dumped her body in a lake so he could take over their farmhouse and live off her life insurance, a court has heard. |
| The jury in Albi, south west France, heard that Robert Lund told the police "manifest lies" to hide the crime and tried to disguise it as an accident. | The jury in Albi, south west France, heard that Robert Lund told the police "manifest lies" to hide the crime and tried to disguise it as an accident. |
| Evelyn Lund, 52, went missing from Rayssac in December 1999. Her body was found in her car in a lake in 2001. | |
| The couple moved from Lancashire to France in 1997. Mr Lund denies murder. | |
| Mrs Lund went missing from the remote village farmhouse the couple shared, between Christmas 1999 and New Year. | |
| Her body was uncovered in a lake 15 miles (24km) away when a drought caused the water level to fall by 30ft (9m). | |
| Evelyn Lund's body was discovered when lake water levels dropped | |
| Presenting the case against Mr Lund, Maitre Barthe, the examining magistrate, said the 55-year-old former tree surgeon had lied when he told police that his wife did not come home after a row. | |
| Following the argument Mrs Lund fled to the house of a friend, Marianne Ramsey. | |
| Mrs Ramsey's husband said Mrs Lund was wearing glasses, but they were later found in her handbag at the Lunds' farmhouse. | |
| Mr Barthe said this proved that Mrs Lund returned home before her death. | |
| "Robert Lund told manifest lies to hide the fact his wife came home on December 29," he said. | |
| Relationship 'strained' | |
| Mr Lund, originally from Darwen in Lancashire, maintains that he played no part in his wife's death, and claims that she died after driving into the lake by accident. | |
| But traces of blood were found on Mrs Lund's clothing and the car, the court heard. | |
| "When her body entered the water she was no longer breathing, or breathing so little that she did not inhale any water, which indicates that she had already been smothered or knocked unconscious," Mr Barthe said. | |
| The Lunds' relationship had become extremely strained after they moved to France in 1997, and Mrs Lund had contacted a divorce helpline, Mr Barthe said. | |
| Mr Lund killed his wife, he told the jury, so he could continue to live in the farmhouse and benefit from her life insurance. |