A PAINTING depicting Christ's crucifixion was donated to a York convent by a man who later committed a murder in a vain bid to conceal a multi-million pound fraud.

Albert Walker, a Canadian fugitive living in Harrogate, murdered his business partner in 1996 after adopting his identity. He was jailed for life after being found guilty of murder by a jury at Exeter Crown Court last July.

Walker befriended Sister Agatha, Mother Superior of the Bar Convent in Blossom Street, on a delayed train as they both travelled to London three years before the killing.

He later visited the York convent with his business partner and victim Ronald Platt to visit an art exhibition, buying the £1,600 painting for the nuns.

Platt was later found after being thrown off a yacht off the south Devon coast tied to an anchor. He could only be identified through the service history of his Rolex watch.

Sister Agatha, who knew Walker by the pseudonym David Davis, said: "The police contacted me after he was arrested because he still had the receipt for the painting. I found it quite intriguing and I invited them up to tell the nuns, who love a good detective tale."

Her meeting had taken place as Sister Agatha travelled to a meeting on a delayed train.

She said: "It was in the middle of a heavy snow storm and the train was delayed by about nine hours. I and a monk I was travelling with moved from second to first class for more comfort and met a businessman. He said 'you're having a jolly time. How do I join in?' so I told him if he gave us some food he could join us. He gave us half a packet of Polos."

Arriving in London, Sister Agatha went for a meal with Walker before travelling straight back to York.

"I mentioned to him that we were having an exhibition of paintings by York artist Russell Platt, and he said his business partner was called Platt and he would like to come. He turned up at it and bought us the painting, which is a very welcome addition to the convent. I think now that he may have been laundering money through the convent."

Walker's love for art had shown itself earlier. He had been introduced to Ronald Platt after meeting the man's girlfriend in a Harrogate art gallery.

He had been wanted for questioning by Canadian police about an allegation that he had stolen £1.7 million from his own financial business.

After meeting Mr Platt, he paid for air tickets to fly him and his girlfriend Elaine Boyes to Canada to start a new life. He then started posing as Platt.But when Platt returned in 1995 his double life was threatened.

Ronald Platt's body was trawled up by a fishing boat eight days after he was killed in July 1996.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.