Man found guilty of quarry murder

Ms Laggan went missing on 27 December

A man has been jailed for life for killing a mother whose body was found dumped in a South Yorkshire quarry.

Alan Leslie Gregory, 36, was ordered to serve at least 30 years after being found guilty at Sheffield Crown Court of murdering 25-year-old Claire Laggan.

His son Darren Ings, 19, was charged with murder but later acquitted.

Her body was discovered on 17 January at the rear of Northcliffe School, in a disused and overgrown quarry known locally as Ladies Valley.

Ms Laggan, of Conan Road, Conisbrough, had drug problems and had turned to prostitution in recent years.

She had two young sons who lived with her mother Sharon Laggan.

I struggle to find words adequate to describe how deeply we have all been affected by the fact and manner of Claire's death Mother Sharon Laggan

She had spent last Christmas with her mother before disappearing two days later.

In a statement released after the trial, Mrs Laggan described her daughter as "loving and kind".

"I struggle to find words adequate to describe how deeply we have all been affected by the fact and manner of Claire's death and how devastated we feel," she said.

"The true Claire was loving and kind, always willing to support her family and friends.

"She never came or left without saying 'I love you'.

"It is so hard to grasp that I shall never again hear her say those words.

"It will soon be Christmas again. The thought of it sickens me because I don't want to relive all the pain that I know it will revive.

"At this special family time, the warmth and laughter of a dearly-loved daughter and mummy will be missing."