A NEWLY-WED man has been found guilty of murdering his wife of five months and hiding her body in their garage.

Michael Roberts had denied the killing, claiming he had accidentally strangled Vicky Wynne-Jones with a dressing gown cord during a sex game that went wrong.

But he was jailed for 17 years on Tuesday afternoon after a jury found him guilty of murder.

Judge Mr Justice Royce told the court he had 'spun a web of lies' and his actions were 'beyond belief'.

Police said Vicky's only crime had been to fall in love with Michael Roberts.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how the 26-year-old, who was having affairs with two other women, went on the run shortly after police discovered Vicky's body in the garage of their Partington Square home in Sandymoor, Daresbury.

After wrapping her body in thermal sheets and duct tape, bought at B&Q in Winwick, he sent numerous text messages from her phone to his pretending that Vicky had left him for someone else.

While on the run Roberts claimed he tried to take his own life by stuffing two socks into his mouth and sealing them in with duct tape.

Before doing so he wrote a letter to lover Karen Wilson telling her how much he loved her.

The court heard how Roberts and Karen contacted each other frequently, sharing 5,000 mobile phone contacts in one month alone.

Roberts was found guilty unanimously by the jury after the three-week trial and was sobbing in the dock when the verdict was announced.

More soon.