Killer husband jailed for 18 years

Mon Feb 8 2010 15:47:06

A wealthy landowner has been told he will serve at least 18 years in jail for murdering his estranged wife, whose body has never been found.

Retired teacher Kate Prout, 55, vanished from the £1.2 million farm she shared with her husband Adrian during acrimonious divorce proceedings.

The 47-year-old who owns a successful pipe-laying business and runs a commercial pheasant shoot, was found guilty of her murder on Friday and handed a life sentence on Monday.

Mr Justice Nigel Davis, sitting at Bristol Crown Court, told Prout, from Redmarley, Gloucestershire: "One of the pieces of evidence that sticks in my mind is Kate Prout used to remember her parents by placing flowers on their grave.

"I expect her family would like to place flowers on her grave but they can't, and they can't because of you."

The judge added: "It was said on your behalf that there was some sort of stress or a degree of provocation. I couldn't accept even that. The truth is you allowed your temper to erupt and it was your anger that killed her."

Following the conviction, Mrs Prout's family urged Prout to reveal where her body was hidden.

Her brother, Richard Wakefield, 59, from Lypiatt, Gloucestershire, said: "We would 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."

Prout, who has become a father with his fiancee, Debbie Garlick, since Mrs Prout's disappearance, is thought to have strangled her and then used his expertise as a professional pipe layer to bury her body.

© Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.