THE first journalist to interview Robert Lund after the macabre discovery of his wife's body today revealed: "I believe him".

Sylvie Ferr, 40, of Castres, has worked as a journalist for more than 20 years and is a reporter for the regional daily newspaper La Dpeche du Midi.

She interviewed Lund four days after Evelyn's body was found in October, 2001, and believed Robert's account when he described how he believed Evelyn was killed by accident.

"It was a very difficult time when the body was found as there had already been so much speculation about the whole case, with Evelyn and the vehicle being missing for so long," she said.

"But I was the first person to interview him and he is a very good actor if they were crocodile tears. He came across as having been very attached to Evelyn and seemed genuinely shocked and saddened by the discovery."

Robert has said he waited three days to report his wife missing following her disappearance on December 29, 1999, because he thought she was safe and well with friends.

"Indeed, I would say I was suspicious of him at first, especially when he took so long to report her missing. But when he gave me his side of the story I honestly thought he had done the right thing in not telling the police sooner and I realised that we, the French, are very different from the English. We would never tolerate 'no action' on something like this."

The newspaper, which has offices in Castres and Albi as well as head quarters in Toulouse, has covered the investigation in great detail.

All the journalists are aware of the case and have their own theories on what may have happened to Evelyn.

Serge Boulbes, 43, covered a police search of the Lunds' farmhouse La Veaute, near to Castres in April, 2000.

The investigation came in the wake of a massive police investigation into the rape and murder of 13-year-old Cornish schoolgirl Caroline Dickinson at a hostel in Brittany in July, 1996, when 50 gendarmes were involved.

He said: "I have never seen an investigation of this magnitude ever launched. I think it came at a time when there had been other problems with an allegation of an English girl by the name of Dickinson being raped and it was very much in the public eye.

"The gendarmes pulled out all the stops and wanted to get a result. They still do.

"They had enormous plans as to how the investigation would go, calling on every resource at their finger tips.

"To have English and French officers working together so closely goes to show how unique the case is and how much it still remains a mystery."