A HUSBAND who is alleged to have killed his wife pretended to look for her in the countryside while their children were in the car, court told.

Jurors at Worcester Crown Court were told Nezam Salangy drove his children out to the countryside and pretended to look for his wife as a cover-up of her murder.

Simon Denison QC, appearing for the prosecution said police had a statement that said Zobaidah, Nezam's wife, was at home with the children and was going out for a walk.

Later, Nezam returned home from Pregos Pizza Shop on Austin Road, which the couple ran, with her mobile phone and keys and said she “had gone missing”.

He told their children he was going to look for Zobaidah.

Salangy then drove the children out to the countryside with a “woodland area”.

Mr Denison added: “When they got there, Nezam got out of the car and walked into the woodland.

“He was out of the car for a couple of minutes.

“He took a trip out to the countryside pretending to look for her and going to an area of woodland. It is a chilling echo of what was done to Zobaidah's body later that night.

The jury was also told the couple’s home life “painted a very dark picture”.

Zobaidah “would often hit” Nezam and he would slap her. Zobaidah would “often say she wanted to commit suicide.”

The court was shown video footage of an argument the couple had the day before Zobaidah disappeared on March 28, 2020.

In the video, Zobaidah is seen to be holding a large kitchen knife to her wrist.

Nezam tells Zobaidah he is filming and is threatening to show everyone. She says, “send it”, “keep filming”, “he is torturing me for the eight years.”

Mr Denison added: “The next day she [Zobaidah] went out and never came back.”

The trial of Salangy of Talbot Road, which also includes two other defendants accused of assisting an offender continues.