Man guilty of make-up artist murder

Serial adulterer David Chenery-Wickens, 52, was described as a "dangerous, predatory charlatan" by the family of his 48-year-old wife, Diane, after seeing him jailed.

He killed her in January last year after a web of deception about money and his sexual affairs throughout their 11-year marriage began to unravel.

He then disposed her body in woodland off Worth Lane, Little Horsted, near Uckfield, East Sussex, close to their country cottage in Duddleswell.

Throughout the four months until her corpse was found by a dog walker, Chenery-Wickens told a series of lies in an effort to eliminate himself from suspicion.

But Sussex Police and prosecutors still brought a case against him despite not having any eyewitness or direct forensic evidence to link him to the murder.

On Monday night, following a trial lasting more than a month, Chenery-Wickens - dubbed the "Vicar of Fibley" - was starting life behind bars and told he will not be eligible for parole until after at least 18 years.

Sentencing him at Lewes Crown Court, Judge Mr Justice Cooke said: "Whether it was a sudden loss of temper or in a controlled rage, you killed her, most probably by strangling her, though it is clear from the evidence that blood was spilt.

"You then disposed of the body either on that night or on the 23rd of January, knowing it was unlikely that it would be seen for a long time."

Outside court, her brother Russell Wickens said: "He repaid her unswerving love, loyalty and trust as his wife with lies, deception, cruel opportunism and deceit. Ultimately he killed her to prevent all of this being discovered and to save himself."