THE brother of a man being held in France on suspicion of his wife's murder today challenged police: "Prove he is guilty or release him."

The move came after it was revealed that Robert Lund, who has been on remand for a more than a year, faces at least another 12 months behind bars before his trial.

Former Darwen man Robert, 53, was arrested in November 2004 at the home in the south of France which he had shared with wife Evelyn until she disappeared in December 1999.

Her body had been found inside her car at the bottom of a lake five miles from the couple's 400-year-old farmhouse, in La Veaute, in October 2001.

Robert had been interviewed twice by police before his arrest, and since November 2004 he has been on remand at a jail in Albi.

A bail application earlier this year was rejected at which point he was told he wouldn't face trial until next year at the earliest.

Now his brother Neville, who lives in Rochdale, is demanding to know: l Where prosecutors think Evelyn died; l How they think she died l What they think the motive was for Robert killing her l How her car ended up in the lake l Why it is taking so long for the case to come to trial Neville said: "They have kept Robert in prison for over 18 months now and they haven't even told him why they think he did it.

"I believe he is innocent and do not think he is capable of doing anything like this. He can't wait for the trial because it will give him the chance to clear his name "But he is not getting any help from the authorities about what he is exactly being accused of, other than that they think he killed Evelyn."

Neville and his wife Anne have visited Robert five times in prison, spending up to £800 on each trip.

They have covered his legal fees to the tune of £7,000 so far, and send £100 a month to cover some of his costs in prison.

The prison service only pays for two meals a day, so Robert's friends and family have had to hand over cash so he gets breakfast.

The £100 also covers the use of a hot-plate, fridge and television in the cell.

It also covers some toiletaries, although Neville said: "When we have seen him he has told us they have had to make do without soap and toilet paper for up to two months at a time.

"His cell is meant for two people, but at times he has had three people in there.

"The conditions are very poor, and Robert has put up with that for 18 months now.

"Another year is unacceptable. He's existing, not surviving at the moment.

"Someone needs to help him and I think it should be our Government."

The couple had moved to France from their home in Winter Hill, Darwen, in 1997, and Evelyn, whose parents live in Rossendale, vanished on New Year's Eve 1999.

They met shortly after the death of Evelyn's first husband, Burnley man Arthur Taylor, in 1991.

When interviewed by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph in 2003, Robert admitted the couple had a volatile relationship but that he would never have killed her.

He was arrested just weeks after returning from a trip to see his solicitors in Blackburn. He was fighting to get access to his late wife's estate.

Neville, speaking publicly about the case for the first time, added: "We want justice as much as anyone else, but our worry is that Robert won't get a fair trial the way things are going.

"If they are so sure he did it, why does he have to wait until next year for a trial?"

Foreign Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw said: "Staff at in our local consulate visit Mr Lund in prison regularly to check on his welfare.

"If the family have concerns about the justice system in France, I would urge them to contact me."

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: "We have not been notified of a date for trial.

"We are aware Mr Lund has been arrested and is on remand.

"We wil co-operate with the trial if required."