THE widow of murdered businessman Mark Levy branded her alleged killers "bastards".

Tina Levy, 47, wore black as she gave evidence in the trial of Patrick Smith and Joseph Mercieca, charged with murdering Mr Levy back in 2000.

Smith, 41, of Palmerston Court, Elmfield Close, Harrow, and Mercieca, 37, of Brancker Road, Kenton, deny luring the flamboyant luxury car salesman into a trap and then bundling him into the back of a car, killing him and burying him in a shallow grave in woods in Buckinghamshire.

Mrs Levy wept as she spoke of the last time she saw her husband alive on January 27, 2000.

She told the jury at the Old Bailey this week: "He came out of the house and we had a little joke at the front door. I never saw him again.

"I tried to phone him at one o'clock and he didn't answer. He couldn't answer because they'd murdered him."

She turned to the dock and added: "Hadn't you, you bastards?"

Smith and Mercieca betrayed no emotion during the outburst.

The court was told Mr Levy was lured into a business deal by Smith's associate, David Checkley, who arranged for Hatton Garden jeweller Charlie Williams to offer him 12 Rolex watches worth about £200,000 for just £45,000. The deal was set up at a garage at Minavil House, Alperton.

Mrs Levy said she warned her husband that the jewellery deal the killers used to lure him into their trap was too good to be true.

When Mr Levy arrived he was allegedly bound, gagged and bundled into the back of Smith's white Mercedes who drove to his girlfriend's father's farm, in Denham, the jury heard.

Police tracking a shipment of cannabis due to arrive from the Netherlands on the same day had Smith's car under surveillance but they had no idea Mr Levy was in the boot.

He was never seen alive again. One of the killers drove his Mercedes to Dover to make it look as though he had fled the country.

Police arrested Smith and his driver Arpit Patel the following day and Patel led them to the murder scene two days later.

They found a shallow grave in the woods but Mercieca had allegedly moved the body and Mr Levy's remains have never been found.

After the killing Mercieca fled to Derbyshire and then flew out to Malta where he was arrested a year after Mr Levy disappeared.

Smith and Mercieca both deny murder. The trial continues.