A businessman who murdered his wife today led police to the exact spot where he dumped her body.
Calculating Adrian Prout, 47, always denied harming wife of seven years Kate, 55, after she went missing from his home in Gloucestershire on Bonfire Night in 2007.
He reported her missing five days later – telling police she left the 276 acre farm alone without her personal belongings after a series of rows.
But officers charged him with her murder four months later in March 2008 – and a jury convicted him in February 2010 despite the absence of her corpse.
Family of the retired school teacher made tearful appeals to Prout to reveal where he had buried her but he continued to profess his innocence.
His new girlfriend, Debbie Garlick, 40, relentlessly campaigned for his release from prison after Mr Justice Nigel Davis sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Ms Garlick even offered a #10,000 reward for information which would prove his innocence and pressed for him to take a lie detector test.
It is understood that Prout confessed to two detectives after failing the test in prison.
Detectives have since spoken to Ms Garlick – the mother of Prout’s baby daughter Evie who was born shortly before his murder trial.
Yesterday (Fri), Prout was escorted to his former home from jail by police officers.
He arrived at around 11.30am to point out the exact spot where he buried the body of his wife.
Det Supt Simon Atkinson, of Gloucestershire Constabulary, said: ”Yesterday morning we received some new and significant information in relation to the murder of Kate Prout.
”Yesterday afternoon two detectives paid a visit to the prison where Adrian Prout is being held.
”Adrian Prout has admitted to those detectives that he murdered Kate Prout – something which he had always denied – and has now suggested that he disposed of her body on Redhill Farm, in Redmarley.
”He has agreed to visit the farm to point out the exact location.
”A detailed search of that location will be conducted next week, however this will be a painstaking process so is likely to take some time.
”The scene will be guarded throughout the weekend.
”We are keeping Mrs Prout’s family updated and fully informed of developments.
”The investigation into Kate Prout’s death was challenging and complex, and ultimately led to Adrian Prout’s conviction. This latest piece of information does not change that.
”Our main priority now is to recover Mrs Prout’s body and enable her family to have some closure after the long ordeal they have been through.”
Prout, who had a successful pipe laying business, formally reported his wife missing on November 10, 2007, telling officers she had vanished from their home.
He insisted she had left at lunchtime wearing jeans and a black v-neck without any other clothes, valuables, money or a car a day after asking him for an increased divorce statement.
But police quickly turned their suspicions on Prout – later revealing he was their ”number one” suspect from the day she went missing.
Hundreds of officers quickly commenced massive searches of his grounds – focusing on a complete one-and-a-half mile radius of his home.
Their search was the biggest ever mounted in Gloucestershire and involved underwater search teams, aerial surveillance and ground penetrating radar.
Officers even sifted through animal excrement in the belief Kate’s body may have been fed to pigs.
During one search, a specially trained ‘cadaver’ dog honed in on one spot in the living room but excavations failed to reveal where Kate’s body was.
The case was taken to trial at Bristol Crown Court despite the lack of a corpse and a jury convicted Prout of murder by a 10-1 majority following a three week trial.
It featured a mass of circumstantial evidence centred on her diary which detailed how their violent marriage was in meltdown.
Her final entry on November 4 read: ”He asked for discussion about my meeting yesterday. Told him.
”Accountant looked at figures, said farm land risen vastly this yr- still rising. Those figures related to the spring – now a diff. Situation.
”Needed #800,000 to make up for maintenance. He said he would have to raise one mill for that so farm must be sold with a #170,000 debt on mortgage I would lose out.”
The prosecution alleged he murdered Kate – probably with his bare hands – the next day before dumping her body.
Mr Justice Nigel Davis sentenced Prout to life in prison with a minimum of 18 years – three years longer than he could have expected because he refused to say where her body was.
He told him: ”’I have no way of knowing what your inner feelings must have been or what they are now. You have shown no emotion through this trial.
”’I suspect the family of Kate may like to lay flowers on her grave. They cannot because of you.”
After the case, Kate’s brother Richard Wakefield pleaded with him to reveal what he had done with his beloved sister so he could lay her to rest.
He said: ”Nothing will bring Kate back to us, but we are pleased that justice has been done.
”We would, however, appeal to Adrian to tell us what happened to Kate and where she is because we would like to lay her to rest and say our goodbyes.”
Was that Eddie the dog they are referring to? the one who made interesting findings in the Madeleine Mccann case.