A HUGE amount of evidence was gathered showing Clive Sharp’s movements and the steps which he took to conceal evidence.
At 6.45am the following morning CCTV footage at the Beaufort Park Hotel showed Sharp moving Miss Gowing’s works Vauxhall Corsa car into the car park.
“He obviously did that so he could move her other car, a Renault Clio, off the driveway,” said Andrew Thomas, prosecuting.
At 11.22 am, a partial message was sent using Miss Gowing’s phone. “This may have been an attempt to suggest she was still alive.” Between 1.50pm and 2.30pm, Sharp was in Queensferry. At the Asda supermarket he bought bleach, a petrol can, bin bags, a screwdriver and a Halloween mask, said Mr Thomas.
At Charlie’s Hardware he bought a roll of tape, a heavy duty hacksaw and spare blades. These were items which he used to dispose of Miss Gowing’s body and to clean up the house.
During this period, the defendant also made two attempts to use Miss Gowing’s bank card at a cashpoint on Station Road.
At 4.25pm he is shown on CCTV at a petrol station in Mold, filling the petrol can. This was used to set fire to the Renault Clio car. At 5.20pm he is shown on CCTV at a Council depot on Pinfold Lane in Alltami, parking his Volvo car.
A little further down Pinfold Lane is the quarry where the Renault Clio was later found burned-out. Sharp is seen on the CCTV returning to collect his own car in the early hours of the next morning.
Having set the Clio on fire and collecting his own car, Sharp then headed towards Sealand. At 1.27am ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) picked up his Volvo travelling eastbound on the A550 Welsh Road beyond Garden City.
At some point over this period, Sharp dismembered Miss Gowing’s body using the hacksaw and wrapped the body parts using plastic bags and tape.
He disposed of the body parts at more than one location between Sealand and Saltney Ferry.
Sharp spent the rest of the night sleeping in his car near Saughall, then spent the following day with family members.
Sharp remained in the Queensferry area until late afternoon before returning to Bethesda.
Miss Gowing failed to turn up for dinner at her friend’s house at 7.30pm on the Sunday evening. When she did not turn up for work the next morning the police were notified.
For about 24 hours this was treated as a ‘missing person’ inquiry, but by the Tuesday evening the police formed the suspicion that Sharp had killed Miss Gowing.
Following his arrest on Tuesday, October 16, 2012, he was interviewed at length over a period of days. He was charged on Friday, October 19.
Sharp gave alibis for the Friday night and Saturday. As evidence came to light which contradicted his version of events his account repeatedly changed, but throughout he denied having any contact with Miss Gowing over the weekend of her disappearance.
Miss Gowing’s burned-out Renault Clio was spotted in the quarry on Pinfold Lane, Alltami by a workman on the Monday morning.
Among relevant findings in the vehicle were a bent hacksaw blade on the seat area; the remains of a suitcase; and the remains of a laptop computer. Miss Gowing’s mobile phone was also found in a pond nearby.