Nat Fraser trial: Witness secretly recorded insulting Arlene, court told Published on Tuesday 1 May 2012 23:09 THE man Nat Fraser claims could have been behind his wife's alleged murder referred to the missing woman in a secretly recorded conversation, a murder trial heard on Tuesday. Hector Dick, 56, was taped, without his knowledge, talking to another man about nine months after Arlene Fraser vanished 14 years ago. During the conversation, he referred to Mrs Fraser as a "silly b*****d" and made a "rude comment" about a court, the High Court in Edinburgh heard. Mr Dick, a farmer from Mosstowie, Elgin, Moray, has been giving evidence since last Thursday at the trial of Nat Fraser, his former friend and the best man at his wedding. Fraser, 53, denies acting with others to murder his wife and claims if committed, it could have been done by Mr Dick. Mother-of-two Mrs Fraser, 33, of New Elgin, Moray, vanished on 28 April 1998. The court was told she was separated from Fraser at the time. The trial heard Mr Dick was secretly recorded talking to Kevin Ritchie - the man from whom he said he bought a car at Fraser's request - on 19 January, 1999. Under questioning by defence QC John Scott, the jury was read transcripts of that conversation. The court heard Mr Ritchie said: "I don't know nothing about f****** her, her car or nothing else. Mr Dick replied: "I kent [knew] the silly b*****d." Mr Scott asked whether that was a reference to Mrs Fraser, to which he replied it "could be." Pressed on this, he said: "I think it is. The jury heard how Mr Dick also referred to "the gullible b*****d in the front bench." The court heard Mr Ritchie had been fitted with a wire and that three conversations with Mr Dick in 1999 were recorded. The court heard that, in the initial conversation, Mr Dick spoke of "insinuations" he had been having an affair with Mrs Fraser. Referring to the missing woman's mother, Isabelle Thompson, he said: "She's been f****** harping on to the bobbies and she thinks I was riding her and all the rest of it." Asked to explain, Mr Dick told the court: "At the time, Arlene's mother was in the press. One of the insinuations was I'd been having an affair with Arlene. Mr Scott asked where the suggestion came from, to which he replied: "I don't know ... it was the police that spoke to me about it." Mr Scott added: "You thought Arlene's mother thought you were having an affair with Arlene?" He replied: "I think that had been picked up somewhere. Most of it was coming through the press. The court heard that in 2003 Mr Dick stood trial with two others for the murder, but later became a prosecution witness. Earlier Mr Dick claimed Fraser told him he had paid a hitman £15,000 to kill Arlene and had told him her body had been burned and teeth "ground up." The trial, before judge Lord Bracadale, continues.