Car 'similar to accused's spotted near site where body was found'

A car similar to one owned by murder accused Ross Willox was spotted on CCTV footage 12 miles from where Emma Faulds body was dumped, a court has heard.

Detective Inspector Fraser Spence was giving evidence at the trial of Willox, 41, who denies murdering the 39-year-old youth worker at his home at Fairfield Park, Monkton, Ayrshire, on April 28, 2019.

Willox also denies attempting to defeat the ends of justice by disposing of her body at Glentrool Forest, Dumfrieshire. Ms Faulds was found there on June 12, 2019 by a search dog.

DI Spence was shown footage taken from a camera in Straiton village, South Ayrshire, around 12.28pm on Monday, April 29.

Prosecutor Paul Kearney asked DI Spence: “The deposition site was about 12 miles south of Straiton,” and he replied: “Yes.”

That site in Glentrool Forest was where Ms Faulds was found lying in a hollow and covered with vegetation.

DI Spence told the jury at the High Court in Glasgow that he joined the missing person investigation on May 27, 2019, and was put in charge of co-ordinating CCTV footage.

He was asked by prosecutor Paul Kearney how footage was acquired and replied: “We try to find local authority footage, we drive round possible routes looking for cameras and also go on foot to doors to ask if they have concealed cameras.”

Mr Kearney then asked: “How extensive were the searches,” and DI Spence replied: “Very extensive. We looked at CCTV footage that covered the relevant dates and times we were looking for.”

The court heard that a black Mercedes SUV assessed by police as Willox was spotted in Prestwick at 9.31am on Monday, April 29, then Ayr at 9.39am, Turnberry at 9.58am and Girvan at 10.05am.

They were shown footage of this and then footage from the camera in the village of Straiton.

Jurors were also shown footage from the following day which showed a man identified by police as Willox purchasing four bottles of bleach.

Earlier the jury were shown video footage of Ms Faulds on Sunday, April 28. The first clip showed her in Fullerton Street, Kilmarnock, near her flat at 3.32pm with her dog.

The next one was taken in Home Bargains at 4.36pm the same day and showed her shopping. She was wearing blue jeans, light coloured trainers, a turquoise top and a jacket.

A further piece of footage from a car dash-cam revealed that her blue BMW 1 series was parked outside Willox home at 5.39pm on Sunday, April 28, 2019.

The court has heard that Willox and Ms Faulds became friends while working together at Kilmarnock Prison. They had arranged to meet on Sunday to catch up on their news and for Ms Faulds to meet Willox’s new rescue dog.

Ms Faulds was reported missing on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 by her parents after she failed to turn up for work.

Willox denies all the charges against him.

The trial before judge Lord Mulholland continues.