Linda Anders

A man who faked his disability for more than ten years was found guilty of his wife's murder at Liverpool Crown court.

Linda Anders was found by her son at home on the kitchen floor, just before Christmas 2000. Her husband, Malcolm, claimed she had been attacked and stabbed by an intruder. He told Merseyside detectives he had come home to find his wife's body, and that a thin-faced, unshaven man had pushed him to the ground, from his sticks, when making his escape.

However, when the premises was examined by police they found no signs of forced entry, and nothing appeared to have been taken. Forensic scientists from two laboratories were involved with the case including one who visited the scene twice to interpret it and thought that it didn't appear 'quite right' because it was too tidy considering that it had been 'burgled' and attempts had been made to clean up and move the body.

Another scientist examined all the items, including the suspect's clothing and shoes and blood, hairs and fibres from the victim and identified a bloodstain on the inside of the shirt worn by Malcolm Anders.

Another reported DNA Low Copy Number on the trace of blood found inside the suspect's shirt as well as on some letters that had been sent some months before the murder. These letters were actually written by Anders, but sent anonymously to the organiser of a dance club, which Linda visited regularly, and also to Anders himself insinuating that Linda was having an affair. The letters were important to the prosecution because they demonstrated some of the background and motivation behind the murder.

Additional work included toxicology of both Linda and Malcolm Anders to see if Linda had been given anything and to find out if Malcolm was taking his prescribed medication. Also a lot of work in relation to a staged suicide attempt by Anders during the investigation.

Examinations were carried out on footwear marks to see if any could be attributed to the "burglar" and also chemically enhanced marks to trace the movements of the son who found the body. It emerged that after the attack, Anders had cleaned up the scene and ransacked the house to make it look like a robbery but nothing of value was actually taken including some money that had been left in the top of a bag.

Three FSS scientists attended court to give evidence while the case was headed up by a specialist adviser who liaised with the Merseyside Police investigation team together with the National Crime Faculty. The crucial evidence came from all three sources.

The jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict and Judge David Clarke QC told Anders, who had sat in the dock in a wheelchair throughout the three week trial, that he was "a clever and manipulative man". Anders' doctor treated him for Munchausen's Syndrome and stated that he showed no signs of muscle wastage in his legs. Anders claimed to have been disabled whilst working for Ford in Liverpool when machinery fell on him.

Anders received a life sentence.