Life Sentence for West Yorks Teacher Who Murdered Fiancee

20 September 2011, 16:03 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

A music teacher from West Yorkshire's been given a life sentence for the brutal murder of his fiancee, and told he'll serve at least 22 years in jail.

A music teacher from West Yorkshire's been given a life sentence for the brutal murder of his fiancee.

Andrew Lindo strangled, battered and stabbed Marie Stewart to death before storing her body in a flight bag in the garage of their home in Holmfirth last December.

A jury at Bradford Crown Court took less than an hour to find the 29-year-old guilty.

Lindo has been told he'll serve at least 22 years behind bars.

The 29-year-old had admitted killing his partner but denied murder.

He dragged her down to the basement garage in a suitcase and finally killed her by stabbing her 12 times with a kitchen knife.

The 29-year-old had been leading a double-life, dating a string of women.  Hours after killing Marie Stewart, he picked up his latest lover and spent the night with her in the bedroom where the murder took place.

For seven weeks he convinced Miss Stewart's family and friends she was still alive, setting up an elaborate smokescreen using Facebook and her mobile phone texting service.  He convinced people she had left him and her two children, and moved abroad.

Prosecutors said Lindo put Miss Stewart's family through "mental torture'' as he blackened her name, painting a picture of how she deserted her young family for another man.

Lindo posted a message on her Facebook profile saying she was having "fun in the sun''.
But, when friends and family became suspicious, the police were called. They searched the house and Miss Stewart's body was found on February 13.

Sentencing Lindo at Bradford Crown Court, the judge Mr Justice Andrew Smith said the killer showed "extraordinary and chilling lack of remorse". 

He added, "There could hardly be a more heartless device for concealing your crime and Marie's body and if anything could add to the tragedy and loss of a daughter, sister and friend, that was calculated to do so.''