Police inspector ‘laughed on school run hours after strangling wife’

A POLICE inspector calmly showed a surveyor into his home and laughed with parents on the school run in the hours after he strangled his wife to death, a court has heard.

Darren McKie (43) is accused of murdering his wife Leanne (39), a detective constable, and dumping her body in Poynton Lake, Cheshire, where it was found on September 29 last year.

His trial at Chester Crown Court has been told that a post-mortem examination revealed she was likely to have died at about midday the day before her body was found.

Yesterday the jury heard McKie left work at Stretford police station abruptly around 11.30am on the day of her death following a text message from his wife after she discovered he applied for a £54,000 loan in her name.

He arrived back at their home in Burford Close, Wilmslow, at 12.05pm that day.

Chartered surveyor Anthony Parker said he spoke to McKie on the phone at 12.09pm to confirm a time to come to value the house, in connection with the loan application, and they agreed he would arrive at 1.30pm.

Neighbour Ann Taylor said she drove past the home at about 12.45pm and saw a red Mini — Mrs McKie’s car — reversing out of the driveway, but could not see who was at the wheel.

Mr Parker said he arrived at the house at 1pm and there were no cars on the driveway.

A few minutes later he saw the father-of-three arrive on foot and let himself into the home.

He said McKie had waited in the kitchen while he looked around the property, which he valued at £505,000.

Being questioned by Trevor Burke QC, defending, he agreed that the survey had been “totally unremarkable”.

Mr Parker agreed that McKie, who told him he had left work early because of the valuation, was “perfectly normal”.

The court has heard that the couple, who both worked for Greater Manchester Police, were more than £100,000 in debt at the time of Mrs McKie’s death.

McKie denies the murder and manslaughter of his wife.

The case continues.