A WOMAN has told the jury in the Lynda Spence murder trial one of the accused confessed to her he had disposed of a woman's body.

Carer Pamela Pearson, 40, told the High Court in Glasgow that Philip Wade told her he and co-accused Colin Coats had dumped a body in the Glasgow hills.

Ms Pearson was giving evidence at the trial of Coats, 42, David Parker, 38, Paul Smith, 47, and Wade, 42, who deny abducting, torturing and murdering Ms Spence, 27, in West Kilbride in April 2011.

Ms Pearson told Solicitor General Lesley Thomson, QC, prosecuting, that Wade, who she described as a friend, had come to her house for a visit one evening about 6pm or 7pm.

Ms Pearson said the accused appeared agitated and told her he was having trouble sleeping.

She added: "He just said he hadn't been feeling well and I asked him why. He told me he hadn't been sleeping very well because he and Colin Coats had disposed of a woman's body.

"I was in shock. I told him how shocked I was. My disgust was obvious. I'd never seen Phil like that before. I started to feel quite threatened and he told me he would shut me up."

Ms Pearson was asked: "Was there any conversation about who the woman was," and she replied: "I'm not sure. It wasn't a nice situation."

She was asked why she did not tell the police immediately and replied: "I didn't want to be involved. I didn't want to be standing here today."

Ms Pearson was asked if what she had said in her police statement was the truth and agreed.

In that she said: "I didn't tell the truth at first because I'm frightened of the two of them. I thought the best way of dealing with this was just to keep out of it, but I decided to tell the truth as I kept thinking of the girl's mammy."

Ms Pearson was asked if she could remember in detail the conversation she had with Wade and said she could not.

Her police statement, which was put to the court, said: "After a couple of hours sitting there he turned to me and said: 'I've had bother sleeping. I've had nightmares,' and I asked him why and he said: 'I helped dispose of the woman's body'. He said: 'I've been forced to dispose of her. Colin did it. Me and Colin disposed of her.'"

Ms Pearson was asked if Wade mentioned the Lunchbox Cafe in Kilbirnie where one of Ms Spence's phones was found and replied: "I can't be sure of that."

She was then shown her police statement where she said: "I asked him if it was the woman whose phone was found in Kilbirnie and he said 'yes'."

Ms Pearson was asked if she remembered what Wade had said. The witness replied: "He did say it involved the missing lady."

Ms Thomson then asked: "Did he say that he and Colin had disposed of her in the Glasgow hills?" Ms Pearson replied: "I do remember that."

Wade's defence counsel Gary Allan QC put to the witness she had made up lies against his client after he refused to have sex with her.

It was put to her that the alleged confession never happened. She replied: "Why would I want involved in any of this? It's not exactly my idea of a day out."

The jury was shown for the first time the attic room where Ms Spence is alleged to have been held for two weeks and tortured. The court heard two blood spots were found in the flat.

The trial before Lord Pentland continues.