Man guilty of killing teenage lover

Unemployed David Hodgson, 48, was angry over 19-year-old Jenny Nicholl's blossoming relationship with his elder brother.

A jury at Teesside Crown Court took 10 hours to find the former fence erector, of Olav Road, Richmond, North Yorkshire, guilty of the murder of the Co-op shop worker. Hodgson, wearing a blue shirt, showed no emotion as the jury returned its verdict.

Jenny disappeared from her home in the North Yorkshire town on June 30, 2005. She has never been seen alive since and her body has never been found.

During the five-week trial, the prosecution alleged that Hodgson killed Jenny on the evening she disappeared and then hid her body. Some of her personal possessions, including a portable stereo, teddy bear and beauty products, were later recovered from a wooded area, which was known to Hodgson.

James Goss QC, prosecuting, said the defendant's motivation for killing the teenager was "possessive jealousy" and that he told "many lies" to cover his tracks.

Hodgson first denied to the police having a relationship with Jenny but then admitted having sex with her just five times in the 12 months before she disappeared.

"The nature and extent of this relationship, which continued until the day she disappeared, lies at the very heart of this case," the prosecutor said.

"Jenny told a friend about her ongoing affair with a married man since she was 15 and how he had 'kicked off' when he had seen her with another boyfriend, from whom she then split up."

In the weeks before her disappearance, Jenny became friends with Robert Hodgson - although he was unaware of his brother's long-standing relationship with the teenager.