NZ woman's ex-husband in bigamy, murder trial

Scottish woman Claire Morris (left) died in a fiery car crash shortly after marrying Malcolm Webster. Photo / Supplied

A man charged with murdering his first wife, plotting to kill his second New Zealand wife and planning to marry a third to receive large insurance payouts will stand trial in Scotland today.

Scottish man Malcolm John Webster, 51, will appear at the Glasgow High Court charged with the attempted murder of his second wife, Auckland nurse Felicity Drumm.

Ms Drumm, who has a son with Webster, was in the passenger seat when Webster drove into a power pole in Takapuna in 1999.

When she was treated for her injuries, medical staff found signs of a strong sedative clonezepam in her system.

Police began investigating and Webster left the country soon afterwards.

Arrest warrants issued by the North Shore District Court alerted Scottish police to Webster's disappearance. They re-opened the case into the death of his first wife - who was killed in similar circumstances.

Scottish woman Claire Morris died in a fiery car crash in 1994, just eight months after getting married. Webster crawled from the wreckage and received a $500,000 life insurance payout for what was assumed to be a tragic accident.

Police re-investigating the case found traces of another sedative in her blood and inconsistencies in Webster's story. He allegedly told four people at the smash scene that he was alone when the car crashed, stopping any potential rescue of his wife.

Webster is now charged with murder, allegedly drugging her with temazepam, putting her in the car, running it down an embankment, then setting it on fire.

He had persuaded Ms Morris to take out eleven insurance policies - which paid out around $500,000 - then left Scotland where he met Ms Drumm in Dubai.

The couple married in Auckland in April 1997 and were together until the crash in February 1999.

Police allege Webster put petrol, newspapers and a lighter in a car and drove it down a bank, crashing into a pole with Ms Drumm inside.

Webster is alleged to have persuaded Ms Drumm to leave everything to him in her will and forged her signature on policies worth more than $1 million.

In an alleged bid to destroy evidence, Webster set fire to papers and an armchair at a Auckland property.

Ms Drumm survived the crash and began complaining of blackouts, which doctors diagnosed as a side-affect of epilepsy drugs.

Webster is accused of drugging his wife over a period of at least one year, including when she was pregnant with the couple's son.

Ms Drumm could not be contacted yesterday.

However her mother, Margaret Drumm, told the Herald that her daughter was not in Scotland for the trial and simply wanted to forget about the whole situation.

"She's home busy working and to be honest, does not want to speak to anyone about it. She's just getting on with her own life now," Mrs Drumm said.

Asked whether her daughter would give evidence by videolink to Scotland, Mrs Drumm said it was unlikely that would happen.

Webster has categorically denied the charges.

He also faces criminal charges of bigamy after planning to marry a third time while legally still married to Ms Drumm.

After leaving New Zealand, Webster moved back to Scotland and worked in a hospital where he met Simone Banarjee. He allegedly told her he was able to marry but was dying from cancer, persuading her to pay for the wedding and leave everything to him in her will.

*This story has been amended from an earlier version that said Webster had been accused of bigamously marrying a third wife. Webster is in fact accused of planning to marry a third wife, but the wedding never eventuated.