THE MAN accused of murdering Terri Webb has been the victim of ‘he said, she said’ and ‘offensive rumours and gossip’, a court has heard.

Ian Palamountain, 47, of Huskinson Drive, College Estate, is accused of the murder of mother-of-three Terri Webb. The 39-year-old was last seen alive on November 14 2016 and her body was found in the river Wye in the Hampton Park area of city by a member of the public on December 27 2016.

Defending Ian Palamountain at Worcester Crown Court on October 25, Kate Bex QC argued that the prosecution could not prove that Ms Webb was murdered and that there was no proof that Palamountain had killed his long-term friend on the banks of the Wye in November 2016.

Bex, leading the defence for Palamountain, argued that the case against him is ‘entirely circumstantial’ and not based on facts.

Bex told the jury the case was built on ‘inferences’ and there was: “No blood, no weapon, no motive, no history of violence between them.”

She stated that Palamountain has no history of violence.

She added: “He had no reason to harm her and he had done nothing but try to help her.

“He has been subjected to really offensive rumours and gossip. She was not some random person, she was his lover for the best part of half her life.”

Bex dismissed allegations that Palamountain had hit Webb over the head and transported her body through Hereford city centre in a suitcase as ‘he said, she said’.

She asked the jury: “How can it be fair to rely on chat and rumour?”

The court heard how Palamountain tried to take his own life in November last year, after which he was placed in a medically induced coma to recover after almost suffering a cardiac arrest. The attempt came almost a year after Webb’s disappearance.

The defence argued that the attempt was rooted in his guilt that he felt he could have done more to help Webb, not due to the guilt that he had killed her, which the prosecution claim.

Palamountain’s defence also pointed out that the medical cause of Webb’s death is unknown, due to the deteriorated state her body was found in when it was recovered from the Wye.

Bex referred to medical evidence heard earlier in the case that suicide or accidental death could not be ruled out.

She concluded her closing statement to the jury with: “The simple fact is he is not a killer.”

In his closing statement to the jury, prosecutor Michael Duck QC criticised Palamountain for not testifying.

He told the jury: “He does not have the courage to stand in the witness box.”

The trial continues, with a verdict expected next week.