THE fiancee of a father-of-four who was kidnapped by a masked armed gang and murdered told a jury how she had chosen her wedding dress just the day before he vanished.

The body of site manager Paul Brady, who led a double life as a drugs dealer, has never been found but Emma Dobson said she had identified his spectacles and a shoe left at the scene of his disappearance.

Ms Dobson, a mother-of-two, was giving evidence at the Liverpool Crown Court trial of 35-year-old Paul Devalda, of Padiham Road, Burnley, who denies murdering Mr Brady.

Devalda also denies an alternative charge of unlawfully killing him and conspiring to kidnap him.

Ms Dobson said she had lived with 43-year-old Mr Brady, in Rochdale and they got engaged in November 2008.

They planned to wed on April 3 last year and had made various arrangements including booking the venue and choosing a cake and wedding dress.

She said the last time she heard from him was at 1.25 pm on August 1.

Ms Dobson, a dance teacher, who gave evidence from behind a screen, said Mr Brady worked as a foreman for Stephen Balint, whose property developments included Lynns Court in Weir, Bacup.

At the time of Mr Brady's kidnapping Mr Balint was living in Majorca and the prosecution claim he was a drugs financier who used Mr Brady to collect and sell cocaine.

She told the court that on July 31 Mr Brady got a call saying one of the houses had been damaged. The couple discovered that a large firework had been set off in a room in the house.

The prosecution claims Mr Brady was lured to the site so he could be attacked but as Ms Dobson was with him the attack was delayed until the next day when he returned to carry out repairs.

Ms Dobson said she knew her fiance was involved in drug dealing with Mr Balint and he had been trying to sell seven kilos of cocaine worth a total of £350,000.

She said on July 29 he collected a holdall containing the drugs from a man at an animal sanctuary near Haslingden.

Also in the dock is Heath Bowling, 38, of High Lane, Stockport, who denies attempting to pervert the course of justice and Devalda's girlfriend, Stacia Crossley, 28, also of Padiham Road, who denies three charges of assisting an offender.

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