Life for killer who dismembered body

The Cumbrian Moors were scoured

A man convicted of dumping dismembered human remains on Cumbrian moorland, has been jailed for life.

Daniel Thompson, 28, drove to a remote area near Dent and buried the body of Shane Collier, after cutting him into eight pieces.

Thompson was found guilty of murdering 21-year-old Mr Collier at a house in Yews Lane, Kendray, Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

His remains were discovered in two shallow graves bordering the Yorkshire Dales in March 2002, after an extensive search.

Shane Collier: Missing for months

Thompson's former girlfriend, Colleen Oliver, 29, was found guilty of one count of assisting an offender.

She was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Mr Collier's relatives burst into applause as the Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Alan Goldsack QC, sentenced Thompson to life.

The judge said: "You also invested a great deal of effort in seeking to evade justice, but it was not to be."

Extreme violence

Peter Kelson QC, prosecuting, had told the jury that in October 2001 Mr Collier arrived at the house where Thompson lived with Oliver and her four children.

Thompson had not been in, and Mr Collier fell asleep on the sofa waiting for him.

The following morning three of Oliver's children saw Thompson running up the stairs holding a knife covered in blood.

The court was told he said: "I've just killed him."

Oliver had called the police but later said her boyfriend had left and she had no complaint to make.

The prosecution alleged Oliver helped Thompson destroy evidence by cleaning the house and burning clothes.

But the judge accepted she had been subjected to "quite extreme violence" over a long period of time.