Murder accused fiance 'unemotional and contained' on Helen Bailey campaign walk

The alleged killer of Helen Bailey paid for flyers and attended a dog walk as part of the search effort for the missing children's author, a court has heard.

In the wake of his fiancee's disappearance, Ian Stewart was said to have gone on holiday to Spain and renewed football season tickets.

The 56-year-old is on trial accused of drugging the Electra Brown writer with sedatives and then probably smothering her in a financially driven plot last year.

A jury at St Albans Crown Court was told that a friend of 51-year-old Ms Bailey found the defendant to be "unemotional" and "very contained".

In her statement read to the court, Jay Nolan-Latchford said: "When Helen was missing I set up the Where Is Helen Bailey? Facebook page.

"As part of our campaign we organised an awareness walk in Royston. It was during this walk I met Ian Stewart for the first time."

She added: "Ian insisted on paying for the leaflets we were going to distribute during the walk.

"I was surprised when Ian said he would come across to wave the group off - throughout the whole day I found Ian to be unemotional and very contained in his manner."

Stewart, of Baldock Road, Royston, Hertfordshire, denies murder, preventing a lawful burial, fraud and three counts of perverting the course of justice.