The body parts of Marlborough College-educated Toby Charnaud, 41, were then scattered in the park, one of the last refuges of Thailand’s remaining tigers, a court in Petchaburi, 100 miles west of Bangkok, was told today.

Mr Charnaud, a globetrotter, had travelled across the US, Australia, Africa and South East Asia before meeting Pananda, 35, a bar girl, while in Bangkok.

They married in Thailand in 1997 and moved back to England to live in West Kington, Wiltshire, for two years, where they were partners in the family farm.

In 1999 they decided to move to the Thai golf resort of Hua Hin, 200km south of Bangkok, to run the Western-style Rainbow Beach Bar but the marriage was to fall apart.

Mr Charnaud, a keen golfer who was a member of the handicap committee at the Hua Hin Golfing Society, divorced her because of her gambling debts and gave her a £11,000 settlement.

Mr Charnaud had custody of their son Daniel who is now being looked after by Mr Charbaud's sister and her husband in England.

He continued to live in Thailand but in April last year his ex-wife reported him missing to police.

Several days before, on March 27, she helped five relatives and friends from her province of Yasothon in north east Thailand dispose of his body, although she denies premeditated murder.

The body of Mr Charnaud was discovered in May last year and detectives said that they found a knife with his blood and hair on it.

Three others admitted murder with provocation, saying Mr Charnaud had interrupted them when they were drinking whisky. All were also charged with possessing a gun in a public place, deceiving police and concealing the body.

Back in Britain Mr Charnaud’s sister, Hannah Allen, and his parents, Jeremy, 69, and Sarah, 70, became suspicious about the cause of his death and hired a Scottish private eye based in Bangkok.

Explore World News

• Iraq News

• US & Americas News

• Europe News

• Middle East News

• Asia News

• Africa News

Times Recommends

• Burma's victims and the fight for life
• Mexico in the grip of drugs carnage
• Amputee sprinter allowed to compete in Beijing