A court has been told Roxlyn Bowie was killed by her husband 40 years ago while living in outback New South Wales so he could assume an "unfettered relationship" with another woman.
Crown prosecutor Alex Morris yesterday told a Supreme Court jury prosecutors would allege John Bowie murdered his wife sometime between the couple's children being put to bed at 7pm and Mr Bowie knocking on the door of his neighbour’s caravan about 11pm on the night of June 5, 1982, to ask for help.
Mr Bowie, 72, has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Mrs Bowie was 31 when she disappeared from the Walgett property where she lived with her ambulance officer husband and their two young children, then aged six and almost two.
Her body has never been found.
Mr Morris said the prosecution would allege Mr Bowie disposed of her body, possibly by feeding it to pigs at a local piggery he'd "taken an interest in".
Mr Morris said it was not required for the prosecution to prove how Mr Bowie killed his wife or disposed of her body, but rather to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he did murder his wife.
Justice Dina Yehia heard the prosecutor allege that just weeks before his wife was last seen, Mr Bowie chose to spend his wife's 31st birthday in Sydney visiting a woman with whom he was having an affair, Gail Clarke.
While Ms Clarke is no longer alive, the court was told she had given an account to police that Mr Bowie arrived at her home towards the end of June 1982, told her his wife had left him and suggested he move in with her.
Ms Clarke told police they did not move in together but continued seeing each other "for a number of weeks" including meeting the Bowies’ young children and visiting Roxlyn's parents' home.
Mr Morris told the jury Mr Bowie admitted to having a number of affairs with different women while living in Walgett and considered himself to be a womaniser.
But he said the only relationship Mr Bowie wanted to become serious was with Ms Clarke.
Mr Morris said Mr Bowie forced his wife to write two letters — one which was found in the Walgett home after she disappeared explaining she was leaving and another that was mailed to her parents two days later.
Witnesses to be called include the couple's daughter Brenda Boyd, Ms Bowie's best friend, Mr Bowie’s sister who was a close friend of Roxlyn, Mr Bowie's colleagues at the time of his wife's disappearance and a number of other Walgett residents.
The trial is expected to last six weeks.
