A MAN accused of murdering a Scottish woman in Australia told police her husband killed her and is now trying to frame him for the crime.
In a recording of his police interview which was played in the Supreme Court in Perth yesterday, Ronald Pennington told officers he had "nothing to hide" over the death of Cariad Anderson-Slater.
Mrs Anderson-Slater, 41, went missing on July 13, 1992, after being dropped off at the 82-year-old's house following a drink-fuelled argument with her husband.
The skeletal remains of the Scot, originally from Elgin, Moray, were found in Pennington's garden in February last year.
During the interview, recorded a week after the remains were found, Pennington said he had spent a lot of time thinking about the events surrounding the disappearance of his friend.
He repeatedly said he had "nothing to hide" and accused David Slater – the victim's husband – of trying to frame him.
The murder accused said Mrs Anderson-Slater called him in the early hours of the morning on the day she went missing. She was drunk and asked to visit.
He said: "She said 'I'm coming over' and I said 'no you're not'. "
The night before her disappearance, Mrs Anderson-Slater and her husband visited Pennington's house for dinner and an argument broke out. Pennington said, at that point, he began to see his new friends in a different light.
The trial continues.
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