Lawyers representing a retired farmer who was accused of murdering his wife in 1981 say that he would be "mad" to conceal her body in a septic system at their house.
David Venables (89), from Worcestershire, has denied the murder of Brenda Venables. He did so after having an affair with another woman.
In 2019, Mrs Venables' body found in a tank at their Kempsey farm was discovered.
The closing speeches of the trial were interrupted by lawyers for Mr Venables who claimed that there was no evidence to support her death.
They also added that Worcester Crown Court had no evidence of how she got to be in the tank.
After claiming that Fred West, the serial killer, may have murdered his wife, Mr Venables reported her disappearance on May 4, 40 years ago to police. He said he couldn't find her and was unable to locate her.
Timothy Hannam, QC stated that he maintained that detectives had searched the tank on their land at their home during initial inquiries.
Hannam said that Brenda Venables' death would have been a mad act. "It was too close to home."
A retired farmer also made arrangements for another person to empty the tank and asked for a contractor to add another chamber before he sold his home. Quaking Farm was told in 2014.
"Everything he did since then is inconsistent with him putting Brenda into the septic tank," stated Mr Hannam. He also suggested that Mrs Venables killed herself because she was unhappy with her husband's "uncaring" behavior.
"Who in their right minds would ask someone else to empty a septic tanks knowing their wife was inside it?" "Who on Earth would do that?" He said.
He said, "The Crown's case was circumstantial." It's based upon a combination of assumptions, guesswork, and speculation.
The trial continues.
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