A former drug squad officer pushed his rich wife off a cliff - then went on holiday with his lover, a court heard.

Brit Des Campbell toppled Australian Janet to her death out of "sheer greed for money", it is claimed.

The ex-detective - based at a nick in Surrey during the 1990s - is then accused of going on holiday with his girlfriend a week later.

Campbell allegedly had three girlfriends while married to Janet.

He stands accused of killing her at a national park south of Sydney - before going on a singles' night the evening of her funeral.

Crown prosecutor Mark Tedeschi told the city's Supreme Court he had taken his wife on a camping holiday only six months after they married - despite the fact she hated camping.

There he set up a tent within 35 feet of nearby cliffs which stand 170 feet tall, it was heard.

Mr Tedeschi said "He deliberately pushed her over the cliff.

"He was in debt and had no intention of living a normal life with Janet Campbell, who was besotted with him."

Before the jury was picked the judge in the case, Megan Latham, dramatically revealed they would be taken to the cliff edge and placed in harnesses so they could see the alleged murder scene for themselves.

Some had to be excused after revealing a fear of heights.

Campbell had emigrated to Oz with his parents when he was young but returned to the UK as an adult.

Mr Tedschi told jurors Campbell had bragged about how "filthy rich" his 49-year-old wife was - as well as "fat, ugly, dumb" and "pig ugly".

Despite her being "madly, passionately" in love with him, he said Campbell only saw her as a "source of large amounts of money".

"The Crown case is that the accused, Des Campbell, never had any real intention of living a proper, normal, long-term family life with Janet Campbell," he said.

"His only purpose in marrying her was to obtain money from her.

"Having obtained a very substantial amount of money from her, he no longer had any further use for her and he needed to dispose of her.

"The Crown alleges the motive for this killing was sheer greed for money."

Campbell was based at Cranleigh police station near Guildford from 1995 to 1998.

He denies murdering Janet in March 2005.

The trial continues.