A man accused of murdering a missing businesswoman has told a court he did not kill her.
Philip Wade, 42, was called as a witness in his own defence at the High Court in Glasgow where he and Colin Coats, also 42, are on trial charged with abducting, torturing and murdering Lynda Spence. They deny the charges.
Wade was asked by his defence lawyer, Gary Allan QC, if he murdered Ms Spence and replied: "No."
Mr Allan asked him if he helped in, or contributed to, the "murder" of the 27-year-old who disappeared in April 2011 and Wade again replied: "No."
He told jurors that he knew of Ms Spence through "fleeting meetings" she had with his friend, Coats.
Wade, a father of four, said she was an "extrovert" and that she would "kind of parade whatever she was involved in", adding: "She wasn't quite my cup of tea but whenever we met her you were aware she was there."
The court also heard claims that Ms Spence "conned" Wade's brother out of £2,000 which she never returned.
Mr Allan asked Wade: "Did that fall-out provide a basis for you murdering her?"
