Malcolm Webster trial: Lies told by accused 'worthy of an Oscar'

A MAN accused of murdering his wife in a planned car crash and pocketing thousands of pounds in insurance policies after her death put in an "Oscar-winning" performance to convince his close friends and lovers that his lies were true, a court has heard.

Malcolm Webster is accused of murdering his wife Claire Morris in Aberdeenshire in May 1994 and pocketing more than 200,000 in insurance policies after her death. He denies drugging her and then deliberately crashing a car she was in before setting fire to it.

Webster, 51, from Guildford in Surrey, is also accused of trying to kill his second wife, Felicity Drumm, in New Zealand to obtain more than 1 million from separate insurance policies.

He faces a further charge of attempting to bigamously marry Simone Banarjee and inducing her to make a will leaving him everything, as well as lying about having leukaemia. He denies all the charges against him.

Advocate depute Derek Ogg, QC, yesterday questioned Janet Davies, who had been Webster's friend since she was 13. They had attended an amateur dramatics society together. She said they remained close until he moved to New Zealand in the mid-1990s.

She laughed as she told the court how the young Webster had played an angel and a donkey in the group's shows.

Mr Ogg asked Ms Davies: "If I tell you there was no brain tumour at the age of 17, that would be a shock?" She replied: "Yes". He went on: "Latterly he told lies about his health to get sympathy, that comes as something as a shock?" She again replied: "Yes". The prosecutor said: "And that he told not only one person, not only two people, but three people he was romantically involved with? That would shock you?"

Ms Davies looked close to tears as she nodded and replied: "That would be a different person to the Malcolm Webster I knew.

"It puts playing an angel or a donkey into context, those other lies. That is Oscar-winning."

The trial continues.