MISSING financial adviser Lynda Spence was held captive for 12 days and had her thumb and the tip of her pinkie cut off with loppers, a court heard yesterday.

Jurors at the High Court in Glasgow in the trial of four men accused of abducting, torturing and murdering Miss Spence were played a police interview with one of the accused Paul Smith.

David Parker, 37, Smith, 47, Philip Wade, 42, and Colin Coats, 42, deny abducting and then torturing Miss Spence at a flat in West Kilbride between April 14 and 28, 2011.

It is claimed they murdered Miss Spence on April 28, 2011, after torturing her to obtain financial information and then cut off her head and disposed of her body.

During his interview, Smith told detectives that he was asked by Coats and Wade if he could provide a safe house for Miss Spence, who owed somebody money, until she got a passport.

Smith said: "I was doing a favour and it kind of turned sour."

The court was told that Miss Spence was going to stay at Parker's house in West Kilbride in what Smith claimed had been described to him as "babysitting".

In his interview, which lasted around 10 hours, Smith told DC Pamela McCowie and DC Michael Neill that Miss Spence was brought to Parker's flat by Coats and Wade. Smith claimed that during her whole time in the attic area of the flat Miss Spence was bound to a chair by tape.

Smith told detectives that Coats beat up Miss Spence a couple of times while questioning her about bank accounts.

He alleged that he also cut off the tip of her pinkie during a visit with Wade and then returned alone later and cut off her thumb.

Smith said Coats then made a thumbs up sign and gestured as if he had something in his pocket.

Smith went on: "He thought it was funny."

In the interview Smith said that he spoke to Miss Spence and she told him it was to do with bearer bonds in the Cayman Islands.

Smith said: "She said they were going to be proved to be fake if someone tried to cash them."

He was asked how much of Coat's money was missing and replied: "She said £3.2m."

Smith told detectives that he and Parker bailed out shortly after the alleged cutting off of the thumb.

He said: "Colin and Phil said to us: 'Look, you can go. There's guys from London coming up to talk to Lynda'.

"We were quite relieved. There were injuries on her. She wasn't dead. She was compos mentis and alive."

Smith told police he had not seen Coats assault Miss Spence. He claimed he and Parker had been downstairs.

Smith was asked: "What do you think happened to Lynda Spence," and he replied: "I think she's probably been murdered by Colin Coats."

Smith was then asked: "How do you know he didn't just clean her up and let her go," and he replied: "I don't."

All four accused deny all the charges. The trial continues.