A pig farmer accused of killing his wife and dumping her body in a septic tank “calmly” went to see his mistress for sex following the murder, a court heard.
David Venables, 89, is on trial charged with murdering his wife Brenda 37 years ago because he wanted to rekindle an affair with nurse Lorraine Styles.
He then dumped her body in a septic tank in the grounds of their marital home in Kempsey, Worcestershire, before reporting her missing to police in May 1982, jurors were told.
It is claimed he “got away with murder” for nearly 40 years until Brenda Venables’s skull was found in the 5ft 6ins deep cesspit when it was being emptied in 2019.
The court heard how Venables suggested serial killer Fred West, who lived in neighbouring Gloucestershire, could have been behind his wife’s death.
On the third day of his murder trial at Worcester Crown Court a statement from 1984 made by Ms Styles, who has since died, was read to the jury.
She told how Venables had gone to her house two weeks after Brenda’s disappearance where he appeared “calm” and “composed” and just watched TV.
Ms Styles, who was a care assistant for Venable’s mother, said: “I couldn’t understand why he was so calm about the whole situation.”
Ms Styles also described how Venables had tried to have sexual intercourse with her the same night but she refused his advances.
Prosecutor Michael Burrows QC read the statement to the court which laid out the full details of their 15-year “on and off” fling.
In it, she said: “He was a frequent visitor to my home, three or four times a week and always late at night.
“This type of regular relationship carried on till 1981.
“It was about this time that I met another gentleman called Edward Day, I began to see him regularly, which helped me forget about David.
“We struck up an immediate relationship, more of a friendly one than a permanent one.
“All of a sudden, just prior to Christmas 1981, David came back on the scene and making arrangements on my telephone.
“He said that he missed me and wanted to resume the relationship. He asked to take me out and I agreed.
“This renewed relationship led to [going] away for the new year of 1981-82. The day we returned home he asked me to give Edward up.
“He even went so far as to say that he would see his solicitor about a divorce from Brenda and that we could live in his house.
“I told him that I could never live in his house so we started discussing about buying my house. I believed he was sincere in what he was saying.
