Murder accused hears sex claims
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/engl ... 858786.stm
Diane Chenery-Wickens was reported missing on 24 January
A married mother has told a court she had a sexual relationship with a spiritualist minister accused of murdering his make-up artist wife.
The woman, identified as Witness A, told Lewes Crown Court she had sex twice with David Chenery-Wickens, 51, who denies murdering his wife, Diane.
The first time was at premises he rented in Harley Street and the second time at her home, she told the jury.
But the relationship cooled after he sent her a "terribly cursory" text.
Mr Chenery-Wickens is accused of murdering his 48-year-old wife, who worked as a television make-up artist, on 22 January last year.
The prosecution alleges he hid her body in woodland about 10 miles from their home, where it was found by a dog walker five months later.
Witness A told the court on Thursday she contacted the defendant, who she knew was a psychic healer, in 2007 when she was having difficulties in her private life.
Cancelled meeting
He discussed with her plans to sell the cottage he shared with his wife near Uckfield, East Sussex and told her his son had a brain illness.
The relationship eventually "fizzled out" but resumed again, with exchanges of text messages.
However, she said he would come up with excuses when they planned to meet.
The last occasion was on 14 January, eight days before the alleged murder but he cancelled that as well at the last minute.
Under cross-examination from Simon Russell-Flint QC, Witness A was asked whether she was lying and whether she had told lies to her husband about her appearance in court.
She replied: "I haven't told him I'm here, or anywhere else either."
David Chenery-Wickens is alleged to have dumped his wife's body
A second woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she and Mr Chenery-Wickens exchanged "flirty" text messages.
He conducted four spiritualist hearings for her, charging her up to £40 a time, the jury was told.
She said he started texting her in 2007, some four years after they met, and offered to take her out for a drink but she rebuffed his advances.
They met for coffee on 9 January last year and he said he had split up from his wife and that the sale of their cottage was due to go through the following Friday.
She said he told her that there had been a strain on his marriage because he was frequently away for weeks at a time carrying out exorcisms.
The pair were going to go out for dinner on 26 January but he cancelled less than an hour before, saying his cottage had been burgled but did not say his wife was missing.
Jurors later heard 50 voicemail messages retrieved by police from Mrs Chenery-Wickens's mobile phone after she was allegedly murdered.
Many of them were left by Chenery-Wickens himself, with his messages getting progressively more emotional as the days passed.
Others were left by friends, work colleagues and Sussex Police, along with touching messages from her mother urging her to get in touch.
The jury was also shown CCTV footage showing Chenery-Wickens boarding the 11.07 GMT train from East Grinstead station alone on January 24.
The court has heard on previous days that he told police he had travelled to London with his wife so she could attend a production meeting at the BBC.
The trial continues.
But what's it got to do with this thread? 
