The person accused of murdering his lover and younger son must be a “cold-hearted, callous psychopath” to have killed the pair, but his lover advised her finest good friend he had by no means been violent in the direction of her, a courtroom has heard.
Murray Macara KC, defending, advised a jury that William MacDowell is harmless and didn't homicide Renee MacRae, 36, and their three-year-old son Andrew MacRae close to Inverness on November 12 1976, and nor did he cowl up the killings.
The Excessive Courtroom in Inverness has beforehand been advised by Alex Prentice KC, prosecuting, that the now 80-year-old was the one man with the motive to kill due to the chance of his greater than four-year affair with Mrs MacRae being uncovered and him dropping all the pieces.
However on Wednesday, Mr Macara dismissed that idea.
“It’s a reasonably dramatic resolution to the potential issues that you simply’re going to kill your paramour and solely son,” he advised the courtroom.
“In that case, he have to be a cold-hearted, callous psychopath – and but Renee MacRae advised Valerie Steventon (Mrs MacRae’s shut confidant) he was by no means violent in the direction of her.
“There was no profit nor may there be if publicity of the connection to Renee MacRae was a menace to his life-style, killing Renee MacRae and his son Andrew was a gross overreaction, so grotesque as to be absurd.”
He advised the jury there “are not any our bodies” and there are “so many unanswered questions” within the case.
“The occasions of November 12, 1976 have been described as a thriller. It's nonetheless a thriller,” Mr Macara mentioned, including the defence didn't concede they had been murdered.
“If Mr MacDowell did have concern, love and affection for Andrew, how did he profit from his demise? How and why did he homicide his solely son?”
The jury was advised that days after the mom and son disappeared, MacDowell had misplaced his job, misplaced his automotive and may lose his residence and kids.
“There’s no proof he was concerned within the disappearance,” Mr Macara mentioned. “It’s hypothesis, it’s at all times been hypothesis.”
Mr Macara mentioned numerous witnesses had been known as to offer proof, and so they had been being requested to recall proof from greater than 4 a long time in the past, together with one witness who recalled she heard a “blood curdling scream”.
Mr Macara mentioned: “How dependable are our recollections from 4 or 5 years in the past, not to mention 45 years in the past? Distant recollections can distort the reality.”
He mentioned cops had been advised the “blood curdling scream” was a “distinct screech”.
Mr Macara mentioned many witnesses have since died or are now not able to giving proof in particular person, and the trial has needed to depend on statements, together with an announcement learn out by Mrs Steventon.
“On this proof we have now what William MacDowell says to Renee MacRae, what Renee MacRae says to Valerie Steventon, and what Valerie Steventon says to the police,” he mentioned.
“It’s Chinese language whispers and we all know Chinese language whispers very often distort what the unique message is.”
The courtroom has beforehand heard of blood found within the boot of Mrs MacRae’s burnt-out automotive.
However, holding a teaspoon, Mr Macara advised the courtroom the quantity of blood was a “very, very restricted quantity of liquid”.
He mentioned: “One-and-a-half teaspoons. Lower than you are taking from a cough bottle.”
MacDowell, of Penrith in Cumbria, is on trial charged with assaulting Mrs MacRae and Andrew on the Dalmagarry layby on the A9 trunk highway south of Inverness, or elsewhere, by means unknown, and in consequence murdering them.
He's additionally accused of disposing of the our bodies of Mrs MacRae and her son and in addition disposing of a boot hatch from his Volvo automotive to defeat the ends of justice.
MacDowell denies all expenses towards him.
On the Volvo, Mr Macara mentioned his consumer was below strain to return the automotive after he had been sacked by his boss – Mrs MacRae’s estranged husband Gordon MacRae – and he requested the jury to simply accept his clarification that the hatch had damaged.
MacDowell has lodged a particular defence of incrimination and alibi, a part of which is that he was on the Mercury Motor Inn, Inverness, that night earlier than going residence through his work and a store, and that Mr MacRae was liable for the killings, in the event that they did occur.
Mr Macara posed the query to the jury of Mr MacRae’s motive, in that regardless of he too having an affair, the connection between MacDowell and Mrs MacRae might need affected his standing and might need been a “seen supply of embarrassment”.
However he admitted the incrimination proof was “extraordinarily restricted”.
There has additionally been proof of sightings of a person with a “Mexican moustache” within the firm of Mrs MacRae. Mr Macara advised the courtroom there have been 123 potential sightings of Mrs MacRae after November 12, however not all had been eradicated.
“It solely takes one and the Crown case is bust,” he mentioned.
On Tuesday, the defence didn't name MacDowell into the witness field to offer proof.
Lord Armstrong, as he started to offer directions to the jury, advised them they need to draw no adversarial inference from this and his innocence is presumed.
The trial continues.