Renee MacRae: Woman's 'deep love' for murder accused

Renee and Andrew MacRae disappeared in November 1976

A trial has heard how a woman was "deeply in love" with the man accused of murdering her and their young son.

William MacDowell, 80, denies murdering Renee MacRae and their son Andrew MacRae in the Highlands 46 years ago.

His trial heard a statement given to police by Mrs MacRae's close friend Valerie Steventon.

She said before she disappeared, Mrs MacRae had believed she would be spending the weekend with Mr MacDowell and their three-year-old son.

In her statement, Mrs Steventon said Mrs MacRae told her Mr MacDowell had asked that Andrew come along because he wanted to get to know him better.

The trial had earlier heard claims Mr MacDowell, a married building company secretary, and Mrs MacRae were in a relationship.

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Mrs Steventon was too unwell to attend the High Court in Inverness to give evidence in person on Friday.

Instead, former Det Con Ruth Mason, who was part of a reinvestigation into the mother and son's disappearance on 12 November 1976, read out the statement given by Mrs Steventon at the time.

Mrs Steventon spoke of Mrs MacRae's deep love for Mr MacDowell and that he had told her of booking a chalet at a hotel for a weekend stay ahead of a move to Shetland.

The court heard that Mr MacDowell had insisted Andrew come along because he wanted to get to know the boy well, and he asked Mrs MacRae not tell anyone else.

According to her statement, Mrs Steventon believed they would all to return on the following Monday, but then heard that Mrs MacRae's BMW car had been found burnt-out on the A9 south of Inverness.

She said she phoned all the hotels in the area she believed the three had been staying, but without success.

Mrs Steventon also told of repeatedly ringing her friend's house and of sitting in a lay-by on the A9 to look out for Mr MacDowell's Range Rover.

She said: "I then phoned MacDowell's house at 10pm that night and he answered, but I didn't speak to him.

"From that moment, I felt very concerned. I am certain if she was alive she would have been in touch with me by now."

The court heard that Mr MacDowell wanted to get to know his son Andrew

Mrs Steventon said her friend thought Mr MacDowell could lie to her frequently but seemed to accept it.

She said Mr MacDowell had previously talked about Mrs MacRae, her two sons and himself emigrating, but that changed in August 1976 to a plan to move to Shetland.

Mr MacDowell said he had applied for a job with Texaco and the company were giving them a house with a veranda and a big kitchen.

Mrs Steventon said her friend was excited, but had doubts the move would happen.

A joint minute agreed between the prosecution and defence has indicated that Mr MacDowell had never applied for a job with Texaco.

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Earlier on Friday, the trial heard that Mr MacDowell was seen cleaning out his company car days after the mother and son disappeared.

He had to hand back the car after being sacked by his employer - Mrs MacRae's estranged husband Gordon MacRae.

The trial heard he refused to give up the Volvo until he had finished "scrubbing it out".

The court heard a statement given by Kenneth Rock, another employee of Mr MacRae's Inverness building firm, who is now deceased. Mr Rock was sent to Mr MacDowell's home to retrieve the company car, the court heard.

Former police officer Mrs Mason had interviewed Mr Rock and read out sections of the statement.

She said Mr Rock told her: "Gordon asked me to get the car returned from Bill MacDowell. He refused to bring it in. He was cleaning it out and said he would return it when he had finished.

"He didn't say why. He was scrubbing it out. The boot was up."

Mr MacDowell denies the charges against him, including one alleging he disposed of Renee and Andrew MacRae's bodies, personal effects and a pushchair, and of setting fire to a BMW car and disposing of a Volvo car's boot hatch.

His lawyers have lodged special defences of incrimination and alibi. The defence claims Gordon MacRae committed the offences together with persons unknown.

The trial before Lord Armstrong continues.