A 20-year-old ex-warehouse packer will be sentenced later after being convicted of raping and murdering a female friend who had “trusted” the killer to walk her home.

Wesley Streete, who towered over his slightly-built victim, Keeley Bunker, dumped her body face-down in a brook in a park before trying to conceal his crime with branches on September 19 last year.

He repeatedly lied about what had happened to 20-year-old Ms Bunker after they returned to their hometown of Tamworth following a night out celebrating her birthday.

Ms Bunker had earlier told a female friend “I’ve got Wes, he’ll walk me back. It’ll be fine”.

Streete, who once had a football scholarship to play for Lichfield and Tamworth, initially claimed to have left Ms Bunker to walk home alone, before later alleging he “accidentally killed her” during consensual sex in Wigginton Park.

He changed his account at least four times before trial at Stafford Crown Court.

Ms Bunker’s uncle Jason Brown discovered her partially-submerged body during a massive search effort involving family, friends and police.

The jury, returning verdicts on Wednesday, convicted Streete in just over eight hours.

Streete, previously of St Austell Close, Tamworth, was also found guilty of two other counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault against three other victims, said to have happened in previous years.

He is facing a mandatory life sentence.