The trial of a man accused of murdering his wife almost 14 years ago could be shown on TV, court chiefs have said.
Nat Fraser, 53, is charged with the murder of Arlene Fraser, from Elgin in Moray, in 1998 and is due to stand trial later this month.
Production company Windfall Films has asked the Scottish Court Service (SCS) for permission to film the trial for a documentary to be shown on Channel 4.
An SCS spokeswoman said: “Permission to film is at the discretion of the trial judge, not SCS. While he has agreed, it is conditional on the consent of sufficient witnesses and counsel before any filming can take place.”
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The filming would be strictly for a documentary to be shown “well after” any appeal and footage would not be released daily during the trial for news bulletins.
A Channel 4 spokeswoman would only confirm that Windfall is making a documentary based in Scottish courts.
She said: “Channel 4 have commissioned a documentary series based in the courtrooms of Scotland, providing insight into several cases, into the court process and the people involved.
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“Windfall Films, who are producing the series, are currently exploring a number of cases to assess their suitability for filming but cannot confirm which trials will be filmed until they actually begin.”
The trial is due to start at the High Court in Edinburgh later this month.
It was announced yesterday that the sentencing of a man convicted of murdering a missing woman whose body has never been found will be filmed next week.
Permission has been granted to film the judge’s sentencing of David Gilroy for the murder of Suzanne Pilley at the High Court in Edinburgh.
The camera will focus on judge Lord Bracadale and no other person will feature in the footage except the macer and the clerk, the Judiciary of Scotland said.
Lord Hamilton, the Lord President and Lord Justice General, approved the application from broadcaster STV.
Gilroy, from Edinburgh, was found guilty of murdering Ms Pilley, 38, on March 15. He was also found guilty of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by concealing the office worker’s body and driving it to various locations in Scotland in the boot of his car.
Filming will start when his defence lawyer finishes the plea in mitigation at the sentencing hearing on 18 Aprl. Gilroy, 49, will not be filmed.
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