Detectives found no CCTV evidence missing Inverkip woman was in London
Margaret Fleming hasn't been seen for 19 years - two people are on trial at the High Court in Glasgow accused of her murder - the pair deny the charges
Detectives from the major investigations team travelled to London in the hunt for missing Margaret Fleming, a murder trial was told. They were investigating a claim by murder accused Edward Cairney that he met her in the city on October 16, 2017.
Detective Sergeant Scott Carson told the High Court in Glasgow he and Detective Constable Andrew Haggerty travelled there in November 2017 to search for CCTV footage.
They looked at CCTV images from the junction of Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street, on October 16, 2017 and saw no sign of Margaret.
The only footage found of Cairney there was him walking with the aid of two sticks along Tottenham Court Road towards the Metrobank and back again.
They were giving evidence at the trial of Edward Cairney, 77, and Avril Jones, 58, who deny murdering Margaret Fleming at Seacroft, Main Road, Inverkip, Inverclyde, between December 18, 1999 and January 5, 2000.
Cairney was interviewed by police on October 26, 2017 prior to being charged with murder and told them he had met and spoken to Margaret 10 days earlier.
The High Court in Glasgow has heard a major police investigation was sparked on October 28, 2016, after a benefits claim submitted by Jones on Margaret's behalf raised concerns about her well-being.
Margaret, who would now be 38, has allegedly not been seen for more than 19 years.
Both police officers said they were told that in his 10-hour interview Cairney said he had seen Margaret in Tottenham Court Road and she had been in Starbucks at Centrepoint.
But, the jury was shown a copy of his interview in which Cairney said that Margaret had been at the cafe in November 4, 2016, and spoke of seeing her on October 16, 2017 while he was walking along Charing Cross Road.
Neither officer had read or listened to that part of Cairney's interview prior to going to London and were acting on instruction from the senior investigating officer at the time DCI Grant McLeod.
DS Carson said that no CCTV footage had been obtained from Charing Cross Road, but was unable to name the premises he had visited other than saying a coffee shop and a juice bar.
When asked by defence QC Thomas Ross, representing Cairney: “You are quite sure about this,” he replied: “We were running out of time. We did the best we could under the circumstances.”
His colleague DC Haggerty was asked by Mr Ross: “What did you do in Charing Cross Road,” and he replied: “Just a trawl down to see what cameras, but there was nothing there.”
Mr Ross then said: “Any suggestion you didn't look in Charing Cross Road for CCTV cameras,” and DC Haggerty replied: “No.”
The QC said to DC Haggerty: “You didn't have a 100 per cent record of his movements,” and the detective replied: “That's correct.”
DC Haggerty admitted that the only sighting of Cairney in Tottenham Court Road was him going to and coming from the Metrobank and added: “For such a built-up area in London it was a surprise to me there was no footage of Edward Cairney after he walks out of the Metrobank.”
Cairney and Jones are accused of defrauding ÂŁ182,000 in benefits and attempting to defeat the ends of justice by claiming Margaret was alive.
They deny all the charges against them.
The trial before judge Lord Matthews continues.