ONE of two people accused of murdering a man whose body was found in a field almost 10 years ago is a former police officer, a court was told.
Douglas Fleming, 50, is on trial alongside John McDonald, 57, at the High Court in Glasgow. They both deny murdering Martin Toner, 34, at the garden and grounds of the coach house at Gleddoch Estate, Langbank, in June 2004.
Graham Noble, 48, head of human resources with Central Scotland Police and now Police Scotland, said he was contacted in 2009 by Strathclyde Police and asked about Mr Fleming.
He told prosecutor Alex Prentice QC that Mr Fleming was a serving police officer from January 1985 until November 1988.
The court also heard that at the time of the death of Mr Toner, Mr Fleming was living at the coach house at Gleddoch Estate with his then partner Pauline Agnew.
Leslie Conn, 59, the former general manager of Gleddoch Hotel and Golf Club, said that Ms Agnew's father Paul Agnew owned the estate in 2004.
He also told the court that Mr Fleming's construction company Delta Construction had carried out renovation work at the hotel and the clubhouse.
Earlier, a farmer told the trial how he found a body lying under a hedgerow as he worked in a field collecting hay bales.
John Baxter, 58, said that the powerful headlights of his tractor revealed the body which was partially covered in cut grass. Mr Baxter was working in the field at North Glen Farm. Langbank, around 1am on July 13, 2004 when he saw the remains.
The High Court in Glasgow heard that later that morning police fingerprinted the body and discovered it was Mr Toner, who had been reported missing by his wife Michelle.
Mr Baxter told advocate depute Alex Prentice QC, prosecuting: "I was picking up the bales and I got to the last bale which was at the gate to the field.
"As the tractor lights came round I saw something lying under the bushes. I stopped and reversed back and jumped out of the tractor and went over to within four or five feet from the body. I could see the head and a bit of shoulder.
"I had enough sense not to touch anything and telephoned the police."
During Mr Baxter's evidence the jury were handed a book of photographs and warned that some of them may be distressing.
Mr Prentice told them: "This book contains some graphic images which may come as a shock to those not used to this kind of thing."
The first police officer on the scene, DC Lesley Petrie, said: "I could clearly see there was a body. As I took a few steps closer I could smell a deceased body."
Dr Angus Blyth, 69, who is now retired, told the court that he was called out around 5am on July 13, 2004, in his capacity as a police surgeon.
He said that he had made a brief examination of the body.
Dr Blyth said: "He was lying face down at the side of the field. The body was covered to a large extent by grass cuttings.
"On carefully lifting away the grass I noticed an apparent wound under his left jaw. There was also what appeared to be bloodstaining on the deceased's back.
"On gently lifting up his clothing top several stab wounds were noted."
Dr Blyth said in his opinion: "He had been murdered by stabbing either here or at some other locus and had then been dumped or placed here."
Mr Fleming has lodged a special defence of incrimination against six men.
Both men also deny a further charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
The trial before Lord Armstrong continues.
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