A minister accused of killing his wife said she had gone to London and “would not be coming back”, a court was told.

Spiritualist medium David Chenery-Wickens, 51, is on trial at Lewes Crown Court accused of murdering his BBC make-up artist wife Diane on January 22 and then claimed they had travelled to London together on January 24 when he reported her missing.

Speaking yesterday, David Bosley, told the court he received a phone call from his brother-in-law Chenery-Wickens on January 24 to say his wife was missing after she failed to attend a hair appointment in Regency Place at 3pm.

Mr Bosley said: "He said he had tried to ring her on her mobile but she was not answering and he was concerned... It was odd because it wasn't long after the appointment and I wasn't sure why he was calling me."

Mr Bosley agreed to meet Chenery-Wickens from East Grinstead train station at 6.30pm.

Asked how his demeanour was, he replied: "He was slightly subdued and agitated."

The pair then began a 'frenzy of calls' telephoning everybody they could think of who might know where she was.

Mr Bosley said: "He sobbed briefly – it was almost child like – it stopped as suddenly as it started."

The jury was also told how Mr Chenery-Wickens behaved “oddly” when he reported his wife missing earlier that day.

He told police the couple had made a joint trip to London at 11:40am before she left him to attend a BBC meeting – he reported her missing at around 4pm when she failed to arrive at a hair appointment.

The court heard how at 1pm he visited offices in Harley Street where he used to perform spiritualist healing.

Receptionist Belinda Blanks told the court: "He looked tired and unwell and said he was finding it hard to breath.

"He said his white blood cells were attacking his body and he had heart failure as a result of it."

Three hours later he walked in to a police pavilion on Piccadilly Circus and reported his wife missing.

Police Community Support Officer Claire Causey told the court: "He was quite calm, not panicked in anyway, like most people in there who have concerns about family members... he asked in the same way as someone would ask for directions."

The jury were told that the next day a receptionist at Mrs Chenery-Wickens’ osteopath clinic had called to notify her about a vacant appointment.

But when her husband answered she was told she was in London “and would not be back.”

In a statement read to the court Barbara Apted added:"During my call to David there was such a tone of resolve in his voice that Diane would not be back that I did not try to contact her mobile."

Later that day police searched the Chenery-Wickens' £600,000 home in Duddleswell.

PC Richard Waters from Sussex Police told the jury: "He told police the marriage had been strained and he had been unwell for some time... "He mentioned searching a well outside the house.

Mr Chenery-Wickens then got a key for the shed so an officer could go and search it.

"He then mentioned searching the loft and said he would help us set up the loft ladder."

The decomposed body of Diane Chenery-Wickens was found at Worth Lane near Little Horsed on May 15.

David Chenery-Wickens denies murder.

The trial continues.