M25 murderer jailed

Noye in custody after being extradited from Spain

Kenneth Noye is beginning a life sentence in prison for murdering Stephen Cameron, the man he claimed he killed in self-defence during a road-rage fight on the M25.

Noye, described by police as a professional criminal, was brought back from Spain to stand trial after a huge police manhunt tracked him down to the Costa del Sol.

Noye had already stood trial for stabbing an undercover policeman to death. On that occasion, his plea of self-defence was accepted by the jury.

And he has served a 14-year jail term for handling proceeds from the UK's biggest robbery, the Brinks Mat bullion heist.

Stehen Cameron: Left dying at roadside

On Friday, he stood motionless in the dock as the life sentence was imposed by Lord Justice Latham.

The judge told him: "The jury have found you guilty of murder. There is only one sentence - life. I do not propose to say any more at this stage."

The jury of eight women and four men delivered an 11-1 verdict, after the judge told them on Friday morning he would accept a majority decision.

Mr Cameron's parents leapt up at the back of the court, clasping each other's hands, and shouted "Yes".

Minutes later they punched the air and hugged each other outside the court.

Stephen's parents, Ken and Toni, outside the court

Mr Cameron's father Ken described the family's "torment" in the four years since the killing.

"The uncertainty of not knowing whether we would get justice for our son tore us apart," he told a news conference.

Police who investigated the murder said Stephen's friends and family had "been to hell and back."

"Today's verdict clearly shows that you can run from justice but you cannot hide," said Detective Superintendent Dennis McGookin.

"Noye thought he was above the law and would never go to court."

Police photo of a LandRover Discovery like that driven by Noye

The trial heard how Noye, 52, of Sevenoaks, Kent, had fled to France in a private helicopter the day after the stabbing, with a bag full of cash.

But he was arrested in Spain in 1998 and was extradited to the UK to stand trial.

Mr Cameron's girlfriend Danielle Cable, who was not in court for the verdict, sobbed in court on the first day of the trial as she described the fight.

She recalled Mr Cameron's dying words: "He stabbed me, Dan. Take his number plate."

Mr Cameron had been stabbed in the heart and liver. He lay dying as Noye drove off in his Landrover Discovery. One witness told the court he appeared to be smiling as he did so.

Ms Cable's courage throughout the ordeal and the inquiry was praised by police after the trial ended on Friday.

"She watched her fianceé get stabbed to death when she was only 17," said Det Supt McGookin.

"Her courage in sticking by the investigation and coming to court and giving evidence against a man like Kenneth Noye is somewhat outstanding, and is a great tribute to that young lady," he said.

The retired detective who led the original murder inquiry, Superintendent Nick Biddiss, said outside the court that Noye was a murderer who had been brought to justice by a dedicated police team including some "very brave people".

He said: "Noye cut a man down in the prime of life and left him to die in the gutter. That is unforgivable."

If society is to remain safe from Mr Noye, he should never be allowed to be a free man again

Former policeman Norman Brennan

The Chief Crown Prosecutor for Kent, Elizabeth Howe, thanked witnesses who had helped the prosecution case and had given evidence during the harrowing trial.

Ms Howe said: "This was a savage killing of a young man in broad daylight on a busy stretch of road, witnessed by his terrified girlfriend and a number of passing motorists."

She added: "Were it not for prosecution teamwork Kenneth Noye would still be enjoying a comfortable lifestyle on the Costa del Sol."

Retired police officer Norman Brennan, now director of the Victims of Crime Trust, said Noye should spend the rest of his life in prison.

"If society is to remain safe from Mr Noye, he should never be allowed to be a free man again," he said.