Rania trial hears more evidence from uncle

Rania Alayed's husband claimed she had "done a runner with another man" after "beating her children", the court heard.

The dead mother's uncle, Ali Aydi, said that her husband, Ahmed Al-Khatib, claimed Rania had abandoned her three youngsters after hitting them.

Mr Aydi said Ahmed insisted he had caught his wife having an affair, and that she fled to Turkey with "another man".

Mr Aydi said he "did not believe" any of it, thinking it was part of a "cover-up".

He described his niece as a "delicate, soft-hearted mother" who loved her children.

Ahmed Al-Khatib, from Gorton, Manchester, denies his wife's murder.

She disappeared in June 2013. Her body has never been found.