The Murder Trial

After three years of negotiation, the Scottish High Court gave permission for this extraordinary and unique access -  to film the case of a man accused of murdering his wife. Her body has never been found, there is no weapon, no crime scene and her husband appears to have a cast iron alibi for the day she disappeared.

For the first time ever, remotely-operated cameras have been placed inside a British criminal court to capture a murder trial in its entirety for this brand new feature-length documentary. Recorded over six weeks, this film shows the process of justice in a Scottish High Court like never before. With over 70 witnesses and 104 pieces of evidence the complex case is dissected firstly by the Prosecution QC Alex Prentice and then the Defence QC John Scott. The victim in the case is Arlene Fraser and her family have now been waiting over 14 years for justice.

Nat Fraser was first brought to trial in 2003 for the murder of his wife – he was found guilty. But Fraser argued that the trial was a miscarriage of justice and challenged the verdict in the highest courts in the land. The case became a cause celebre. Eventually, after years of protesting his innocence, the conviction was quashed in 2011. In April 2012, Nat Fraser was sent back to the High Court in Edinburgh for a fresh trial, 14 years after his wife’s disappearance. A new jury was sworn in to hear all the evidence against him. Would they find him innocent or convict him of murder?

Filmed and Directed by: Nick Holt

Prod: Marina Parker

Exec Prods: David Dugan and Kate Barker

Prod co: Windfall Films