A diving instructor who has a shop in Ramon Perrellos Street, St Paul's Bay this afternoon recounted to the court his fright one morning when he had been called and asked for help and saw a lifeless woman's body at the bottom of a shaft.

Lawrence Spagnol was giving evidence in the case against Sergii Nykytiuk, 41, who is pleading not guilty to murdering his Ukrainian wife, Lyudmila, 35, on November 11, 2009 in Ramon Perellos Street at the flat they shared with two men, Roman Kovacuk, and someone known as Vladimir, who could not be tracked down.

Mr Spagnol said he was locking his garage door when he was asked for help and was directed to the shaft.

When he saw the woman he called the police. He then went to pick up his clients who were waiting.

Silvia Bezzina, the owner of the block, said that Mr Spagnol called her and told her that there was a dead woman in her block.

She described Lyudmila as tall, built and bubbly.