Killer in court for eBay sale

ALAN Stead who was last month jailed for at least 25 years for the murder of his wife was due to appear in court today charged with selling criminal property on eBay.

The 42-year-old, who received the life sentence after being convicted of killing his wife, Anita, at their home in Slindon Close, Waterhayes, was appearing at North Staffordshire Magistrates' Court.

He is accused of selling criminal property – Samsung LCD TVs, Samsung computer hard disk drives and computer monitors – on internet auction site eBay in 2006 and 2007.

Stead murdered 39-year-old mother-of-four Anita in 2002 by locking her in a computer room he built in the garage of their home and starting a fire.

Anita had wanted a divorce, but Stead feared losing his children and home.

He got away with murder for years after police failed to gather enough evidence to prosecute him.

But Anita's father Bert Whitehead, of Hartshill, continued to battle for justice, and in 2006 North Staffordshire coroner Ian Smith demanded police look at the case again.

Twenty police officers and staff were involved in the second investigation last year.