Accused said sniffer dogs ‘won’t find scent of missing Margaret’
A MAN accused of murdering a woman who has been missing for 18 years told police that sniffer dogs would not find her scent during a search, a court heard yesterday.
Edward Cairney claimed Margaret Fleming ran off when police arrived to investigate reports that had raised concerns about her.
Constable Kimberley Hill was giving evidence at the trial of Cairney, 77, and Avril Jones, 58, who deny murdering Miss Fleming when she was 19, between December 18, 1999 and January 5, 2000.
The dog handler told prosecutor Iain McSporran, QC, that she arrived at the home they shared at Seacroft, Inverkip, Renfrewshire, on October 28, 2016.
She said she had two German shepherd dogs and a cocker spaniel with her at the time. Constable Hill told the High Court in Glasgow that she spoke to Cairney and Jones to try to get as much information as possible about Miss Fleming.
She added: ‘We had a person with learning difficulties and we were concerned for her.’
Mr McSporran asked: ‘What did you tell Mr Cairney and Miss Jones?’
The officer replied: ‘I explained how a dog search works and the information I required. I had been informed Margaret made off through the back of the house.
‘Mr Cairney said the dog won’t find any scent. He said she might have gone round the back and swung out onto the main road.’
Mr McSporran said: ‘His first instinct was to say the dog wouldn’t find any scent?’ She replied: ‘Yes.’ Constable Hill said she was told Miss Fleming was wearing a tartan fleece, jeans and builders’ boots that night.
Mr McSporran added: ‘Did Mr Cairney or Miss Jones say where she might have gone?’
She replied: ‘Mr Cairney said Wemyss Bay. I asked if she would have gone on foot. He thought about it and said: “No, she sometimes gets picked up by travellers”.
‘Miss Jones said it had been drummed into Margaret by her grandmother from a young age if the police got her they would take her away. There was a comment that if I found her, she might be violent.’
The court heard Constable Hill asked if Miss Fleming had a mobile phone and was told she did, but neither Cairney nor Jones knew the number.
Cross examined by defence QC Thomas Ross, representing Cairney, Constable Hill admitted there was a limited time for dogs to pick up scent. Mr Ross said: ‘If Margaret had walked along a hard surface, the scent would be gone by the time you got there?’ Constable Hill replied: ‘Yes.’ The court was told scent would linger on grassy areas for about two hours. Mr Ross said: ‘There are indications this happened at 5.40pm and you did not get there until 8.30pm, so Mr Cairney might have been correct when he said the dogs’ chances of getting her were low?’
The police officer replied: ‘That’s correct.’
Cairney and Jones deny murdering Miss Fleming by means unknown, and claiming £182,000 in benefits fraud by pretending she was alive.
The trial continues.