Timeline: Arlene Fraser case Published duration 25 May 2011

The mysterious disappearance of mother-of-two Arlene Fraser in Elgin, Moray, has dominated headlines since 1998.

Here is how events have unfolded.

Nat Fraser wins his appeal to have his conviction quashed.

His case begins at the Supreme Court in London.

Nat Fraser plans to challenge his conviction at the Supreme Court in London.

Judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh rule his latest legal move is incompetent.

Nat Fraser claims at a legal debate before judges in Edinburgh, that his earlier appeal did not get a fair hearing.

Grampian Police Assistant Chief Constable Jim Stephen, who led the high-profile investigation into the murder of Arlene Fraser, retires after 34 years of police service.

Court of Criminal Appeal judges refuse his bid to appeal to the Privy Council in London.

Nat Fraser announces plans to ask judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal if he can appeal to the Privy Council in London.

Nat Fraser loses his appeal against a life jail term for killing his wife Arlene.

Ten years have passed since mother-of-two Arlene Fraser disappeared from her home in the north east.

Nat Fraser is returned to prison to await the judges' decision in his appeal against his conviction for killing his wife, Arlene.

Nat Fraser's defence team at his appeal rubbishes claims a jury would still have found him guilty had evidence about his wife Arlene's rings been available at trial.

Overwhelming circumstantial evidence against Nat Fraser meant he did not suffer a miscarriage of justice, the appeal court hears.

A defect in the Nat Fraser murder trial did not mean the case was unfair, the appeal court is told.

The judge in the Nat Fraser murder trial made a mistake which made it harder for the Crown to seal a conviction, the appeal court hears.

A police officer was mistaken in thinking she saw Arlene Fraser's rings in her house shortly after she disappeared, the court hears.

A search of Arlene Fraser's house after she went missing may not have been thorough enough, the court is told.

Nat Fraser's defence team were better off without evidence about his wife Arlene's rings on which they have based their appeal, a court is told.

A "compelling body" of circumstantial evidence points towards the guilt of convicted wife murderer Nat Fraser, the court hears.

Police lied to the prosecutor in the Nat Fraser murder trial in order to get a conviction, it is claimed.

The prosecutor who secured Nat Fraser's conviction for murdering his wife was unaware of important evidence until two years later, appeal judges hear.

Evidence allegedly withheld by prosecutors undermines the guilty verdict on a man convicted of murdering his wife, the appeal court is told.

Convicted killer Nat Fraser is to challenge his conviction for murdering his wife when a full appeal is heard later this year.

One of the men cleared of murdering the Elgin woman Arlene Fraser is found dead at his home in Lincolnshire.

Relatives of murder victim Arlene Fraser call for her husband to be put back in jail after fresh allegations about him in the press.

Nat Fraser, who was jailed for murdering his wife Arlene, is freed from prison pending an appeal.

Inquiries into the Arlene Fraser murder case should extend to the "highest levels" of the police force involved, according to her husband's lawyer.

Two inquiries have been ordered after it emerged relevant evidence was not made available to the trial of Nat Fraser.

Evidence emerges which suggests that a key witness in the Arlene Fraser murder trial lied.

Nat Fraser is allowed to appeal against his conviction for killing his wife Arlene.

Grampian Police refuse to comment on allegations over crucial evidence in the trial.

Claims over Arlene ring evidence

Nat Fraser lodges an appeal against his conviction for murdering his wife.

The detective who led the investigation into the murder of Arlene Fraser is recognised in the Birthday Honours List.

The family and friends of Arlene Fraser gather to remember her at a special service in Elgin.

Police reveal how a forensic lip-reader was used to help catch the killer of Arlene Fraser.

Police vow to confront Nat Fraser in prison in a bid to find out what happened to his wife.

The jury in the trial of businessman Nat Fraser finds him guilty of murdering his wife, who went missing almost five years ago.

Defence and prosecution lawyers in the trial of Nat Fraser, who is accused of murdering his wife Arlene, give their closing speeches to the jury.

Nat Fraser has three charges of attempting to defeat the ends of justice against him dropped.

The husband of missing woman Arlene Fraser denies killing his wife out of greed as he finishes giving evidence at the High Court in Edinburgh. There is also a clash over evidence provided by key prosecution witness Hector Dick and detectives involved in the search for Mrs Fraser.

Nat Fraser tells the court that he loved Arlene and did not murder her. He says the couple's relationship was "stormy at times" but he adds that he still wanted her back when they split up in 1998.

Nat Fraser allegedly warned Arlene that she would "not live with anyone" if she left him. Marion Taylor tells the High Court in Edinburgh, Arlene Fraser talked about the threat just days before going missing.

Key prosecution witness Hector Dick denies that he killed Arlene Fraser. Mr Dick tells the High Court in Edinburgh that Nat Fraser had hired a hit man to kill his wife.

Hector Dick admits burning and crushing a car because of fears that it might be linked to the disappearance of Mrs Fraser.

Two of the three men accused of plotting to murder Arlene Fraser have the charges against them dropped. In a dramatic development, the High Court in Edinburgh hears that the Crown would not be proceeding with charges against Hector Dick and Glenn Lucas.

Three rings belonging to Arlene Fraser turned up in her bathroom more than a week after she disappeared. Mrs Fraser's stepmother said she found the wedding, engagement and eternity rings on a rail above the sink.

One of three men accused of murdering Arlene Fraser was "hanging about" outside her home a week before she disappeared, the court is told.

The mother of Arlene Fraser confronted her son-in-law demanding to know what had happened, a High Court jury is told.

The trial of three men accused of murdering Arlene Fraser begins. It hears she disappeared on the day she was due to see a solicitor about a divorce.

Three men are indicted for the murder of missing mother Arlene Fraser. The Crown Office said the men involved were Arlene's estranged husband Nat Fraser, his friend Hector Dick and English businessman Glenn Lucas. They are all charged with conspiring to murder Mrs Fraser, murdering her and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

The husband of Arlene Fraser is jailed for 12 months after admitting legal aid fraud. Sheriff James Penman tells Nat Fraser it was a very serious crime and there is no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence.

Nat Fraser is jailed for 18 months for assaulting Arlene, who at this stage had been missing for almost two years. Mr Fraser is sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh after previously admitting a reduced charge of compressing his wife Arlene's neck to the danger of her life.

The family of Arlene Fraser say they are disappointed that an attempted murder charge against her husband has been dropped. Nat Fraser, 41, admits a reduced charge of assault by compressing his wife Arlene's neck to the danger of her life.

Nat Fraser appears at the High Court in Aberdeen charged with assaulting and attempting to murder his wife. The crimes are said to have taken place in the months before Mrs Fraser vanished from her home.

An indictment is served on Arlene Fraser's husband, the Crown Office confirms.

Police confirm that fresh inquiries are being carried out into the disappearance of Arlene Fraser.

Arlene Fraser's family mark the anniversary of her disappearance with a new appeal for information. Arlene telephoned her children's school on 28 April, 1998. She has not been heard of since.

The senior detective investigating the disappearance of Arlene Fraser says he believes she is dead and the victim of "something criminal". Detective Chief Inspector Peter Simpson said officers had found no evidence that Mrs Fraser was still alive.