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Woods trial told of disco tears Court tears over murdered nurse
(about 3 hours later)
A murder trial has heard a nursery nurse was crying in a disco on the night she disappeared. A witness wept in court as she told how she searched in vain for murdered nursery nurse Elizabeth McCabe on the night she went missing.
Elizabeth McCabe was in tears at the club after spending the evening drinking in bars in central Dundee, according to her friend Sandra Niven. Sandra Niven, 49, said she felt guilty because she had not shared a taxi home with Miss McCabe, after a night out together at a Dundee disco.
The 49-year-old has been giving evidence at Vincent Simpson's trial at the High Court in Edinburgh. She was giving evidence at the trial of Vincent Simpson, who denies murdering Miss McCabe in Dundee in 1980.
The former taxi driver denies murdering Miss McCabe, whose body was found in Templeton Woods in Dundee in 1980. Miss McCabe's body was found in the city's Templeton Woods.
The court heard details of Elizabeth's last known movements before she vanished. Ms Niven told the trial at the High Court in Edinburgh she had expected to find Miss McCabe waiting for her at the door of Teazer's Night Club in Union Street after collecting her coat at the end of the night, but she was not there.
Heart-to-heart Still missing
Ms Niven said they had been to several pubs on the evening of 10 February that year, before ending up at Teazer's disco. School cleaner Ms Niven said she tried to go back up the club's stairs to see if Miss McCabe was in the toilet. She also tried to check a nearby taxi rank.
She had met up with a former boyfriend, but Elizabeth was disappointed because a boy she had been involved with was not there. "It was crowded," she said. "I looked up and down the street. I assumed she had went home. I thought she had went off on her own."
Ms Niven said Elizabeth had started crying, and they had gone to the club's toilets for a heart-to-heart. The trial heard that Ms Niven took a taxi to the flat of a former boyfriend who she had been dancing with that night.
She was happier because I asked her if she wanted to go home and she said 'no' Sandra Niven She said that they would have dropped Miss McCabe off at her home in Lyndhurst Avenue, Lochee, if they had found her.
She told the court: "She said she was upset because she felt nobody liked her. I said I liked her." She said she was upset because she felt nobody liked her. I said I liked her Sandra Niven
She added that she thought Elizabeth had meant two boys she had slept with, and agreed her friend had felt like a gooseberry. In February 1980 the two girls were working at the same day nursery in Dundee and Miss McCabe was also attending college to improve her qualifications. The two had known each other since their school days.
The court heard Ms Niven had not seen Elizabeth so upset before and that it was out of character. Ms Niven told advocate depute Alex Prentice Qc, prosecuting, that she had "felt guilty" when she found out that Miss McCabe was still missing the next morning.
Ms Niven said she thought there was something more, but added that Elizabeth cheered up when they left the disco toilet. Just over two weeks later, on what would have been the eve of her 21st birthday, Miss McCabe's body was found in Templeton Woods.
Ms Niven said she learned her friend had been murdered from police after seeing on television that a body had been found in the woods.
"I was shocked," she said.
Ms Niven also told how Miss McCabe had been crying in the disco toilet on the night she disappeared because she thought no-one liked her.
Elizabeth McCabe was found dead more than 27 years ago
She said they had been to several pubs on the evening of 10 February, before ending up at Teazer's disco.
Ms Niven had met up with a former boyfriend, but Miss McCabe was disappointed because a boy she had been involved with was not there.
Ms Niven continued: "She said she was upset because she felt nobody liked her. I said I liked her."
The court heard Ms Niven had not seen Miss McCabe so upset before and that it was out of character.
Ms Niven said she thought there was something more, but added that Miss McCabe cheered up when they left the disco toilet.
She said: "She was happier because I asked her if she wanted to go home and she said 'no'."She said: "She was happier because I asked her if she wanted to go home and she said 'no'."
Vincent Simpson, from Camberley in Surrey, has denied murder and claimed he has an alibi for the night Miss McCabe disappeared.Vincent Simpson, from Camberley in Surrey, has denied murder and claimed he has an alibi for the night Miss McCabe disappeared.
The 61-year-old, who was living in Newtyle near Dundee at the time, has lodged with the court a list of 13 names of people he said might have killed Elizabeth by hitting her on the head and strangling her. The 61-year-old, who was living in Newtyle near Dundee at the time, has lodged with the court a list of 13 names of people he said might have killed Miss McCabe by hitting her on the head and strangling her.
Elizabeth's body was found in Dundee's Templeton Woods on 26 February 1980, the eve of what would have been her 21st birthday. The trial continues with a jury of 14 after one man was taken ill.
The trial continues.