A husband and wife took the stand this afternoon in the murder trial of Simon McCartney who is charged with the murder of his wife Ashika Lata in Deuba in October last year.

Merewalesi Nalumi and her husband Josefa Gavidi both testified that McCartney was indeed the person, who was seen in a white Toyota four wheel drive on the 29th of October near the murder scene in Deuba.

According to Nalumi, who was waiting for her bus on the Queens Highway, she saw McCartney along with another European man drive the van towards a feeder road heading towards Taunovo Bay.

When asked to identify the passenger in the car, Nalumi pointed McCartney out saying he was also the person she had seen in the dailies over the next few weeks.

However, defense lawyer Sevuloni Valenitabua questioned the credibility of Nalumi's statement as the receipt produced by Carpenters Motors Rental Cars did not show the exact time that McCartney had taken the car or when he returned it.

Meanwhile, Waisake Bati, the farmer who had found Ashika Lata's body that morning told the Court that he had come across the body on the feeder road leading to Taunovo Bay adding that once he saw the body he alerted Police officers at the Deuba Police Post.

The case continues in High Court in Suva tomorrow morning.