Nat Fraser wins Supreme Court appeal
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Nat Fraser has won his Supreme Court appeal
AN ELGIN businessman convicted of killing his wife has won his appeal against his conviction.
Nat Fraser (52) was jailed for a minimum of 25 years at the High Court in Edinburgh in January 2003 for the murder of his wife Arlene (33) in 1998.
However, five judges at the Supreme Court in London have now remitted the case to the Scottish Court of Criminal Appeal to quash the conviction and for a re-trial to be considered.
Mr Fraser’s legal team had appealed to the Supreme Court after exhausting every legal avenue in Scotland.
His murder conviction was the first in Scotland where the body of the alleged victim had never been found.
Arlene Fraser was last seen on April 28, 1998 waving her children off to school.
Mr Fraser’s legal team argued there had been a miscarriage of justice, claiming his defence team at the trial had not received all the facts, particularly in relation to rings belonging to Arlene found in the family home.
His QC, Maggie Scott, had told the Supreme Court: "The essential question is whether or not the appellant received a fair trial."
Arlene’s family issued a statement following the decision by the Supreme Court to recommend quashing Mr Fraser’s conviction.
"Today’s decision by the Supreme Court is bitterly disappointing but we have to accept the decision.
"However, we fully support the Crown’s intention to seek authority to bring fresh proceedings against Nat Fraser for Arlene’s murder.
"We would now ask for time to consider today’s judgement and that people respect our privacy.
"We will not be making any further comment to avoid prejudicing any future criminal proceedings," the statement added.
