School Teacher Vanishes After Request for Settlement

A retired English school teacher vanished after asking for a divorce and an £800,000 settlement from her husband, a wealthy landowner in Gloucestershire.  The prosecution claims that 55-year-old Kate Prout was murdered by her estranged husband Adrian after several incidents of domestic violence.

Mrs Prout, 55, has not been seen since November 5th 2007 when she vanished from her home leaving behind all of her clothing, her passport, and her credit cards. Among the items left behind after her disappearance was a diary saying that she was afraid of her husband and feared for her life. ''Her diary entry reads: ''The evening he threatened me and I reported him to the police. He was arrested and no charges brought because no marks on me so no evidence. 'Ted and Linda Wakefield came to get me. Officially separated now I was very frightened to return. He went mad I thought my end had come. I was very, very shaken.'''

One hundred officers including divers and the Gloucestershire police helicopter spent eight weeks searching 276-acres of land including woodland, lakes and ponds but failed to find any trace of her. Mr Prout, who ran a pipe laying and civil engineering business, was initially arrested on suspicion of her murder on November 27 2007.

Mr Prout continues to deny that he committed murder, and the trial continues.

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