Victim's father-in-law 'hit her'

Rachel Hudson's body was dumped near Newstead Abbey

A man accused of beating to death his daughter-in-law has admitted to a jury that he hit her "a couple of times".

Ronald Hudson Senior, 49, denies murdering Rachel Hudson, a 20-year-old mother-of-two, in March 2004.

His wife Trudi, 44, sons Craig, 21, and Ronald Junior, 23, and daughter Charlene, 18, deny murder. Elisabeth Hogg, 19, also denies the charge.

Nottingham Crown Court heard the victim's body was dumped near Newstead Abbey, Notts, in March 2004.

Mr Hudson told the jury he had seen Ms Hudson being beaten "many times" and had tried to stop it, but that he had been under pressure and had lashed out on the occasions when he did hit her.

I think they knew they were going to kill Rachel Ronald Hudson Senior

He said: "I admit it, I did hit Rachel. I just slapped her in the face a couple of times."

Mr Hudson told the court he had seen the victim being hit around the face by his wife Trudi and by Elisabeth Hogg.

He then claimed he saw his wife strangling Ms Hudson in the living room of the family home in Overdale Road, in Stockhill, Nottingham.

Mr Hudson later said he believed the abuse the victim suffered was part of an ongoing plot, or "scam".

"I think they knew they were going to kill Rachel," he said.

The victim, born Rachel Manger, came from Leicestershire, but moved to Nottingham after her marriage.

On Thursday, her 19-year-old brother-in-law Shane Hudson and Andrew Hudson-Makings, 33, were cleared of her murder by a jury on the direction of trial judge Mr Justice Hughes.

The trial continues.