A MURDERER who left his naked victim to die in a shallow grave in has been convicted at Newcastle Crown Court.

Richard James Spottiswood, 34, of Canterbury Way, Jarrow, was found guilty of the murder of Darren Bonner, 24, who he had accused of betraying him to a rival drug dealer.

Spottiswood’s partner, Lucy Burn, 30, had also pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to a charge of assisting an offender in relation to the murder.

In July of last year, Mr Bonner was found naked in a shallow grave in bushes near to Shore Road in Cresswell, Northumberland, after a passing walker heard ‘snoring and moaning’ noises coming from behind a stone wall.

Police attended and found him naked in the foetal position in a shallow grave, drifting in and out of consciousness. He died 16 days later in hospital, as a result of irreversible brain damage caused by oxygen starvation to his brain.

John Brennan of the CPS, said: “Richard Spottiswood had invited Darren Bonner to join him on a family holiday at a caravan park in Cresswell. The pair had socialised over the weekend but, once the rest of the family had returned home, Spottiswood suddenly turned on him. After placing him in a headlock, he choked him with such force that Darren would ultimately die from the catastrophic injuries inflicted.

“In an attempt to hide what he had done Spottiswood then drove Darren to a shallow grave he had prepared in nearby undergrowth, where he left him naked to die. Had it not been for a passing member of the public later that morning, he may never have been found.

“Throughout the investigation and prosecution of this case Spottiswood has made every attempt to evade justice for Darren’s murder, but the CPS and Police have worked closely to build a very robust case against him. By piecing together significant amounts of CCTV, mobile phone records, eyewitness accounts and forensic evidence we have been able to clearly show the means by which he took Darren’s life and also his failed attempt to hide what he had done.

“I sincerely hope that today’s conviction against Spottiswood provides some small measure of comfort to the family of Darren Bonner at what must be an incredibly difficult time for them.”

Sentencing will take place at a future date.