Detective Chief Inspector Dave Withers, who led the murder investigation, said afterwards: "Our thoughts are with Terry’s family and friends today. They have been through a very difficult ordeal.

"Terry was a young, vibrant, popular woman with a life to look forward to. That life was tragically taken from her prematurely.

"We would like to thank the media for their assistance with this investigation. We made numerous appeals for information and the response from these helped us enormously.

"This was a complex inquiry and one that built up as we gathered evidence and looked at the events surrounding Terry’s disappearance.

"From finding Terry’s body hidden in a suitcase, we carried out a thorough and detailed investigation, which led to Philip Bell.

"Bell murdered Terry, hid her body and tried to cover up his horrific crime. We were able, through a meticulous investigation, painstaking research by the FSS and careful and thorough preparation by the Crown Prosecution Service, to prove that Bell was guilty."

Reviewing Lawyer Simon Ringrose said: "This was a difficult and complicated case involving a large number of pieces of evidence.

"However, as the investigation advanced the evidence led to one man, Philip Bell. By working closely together, the CPS and Police were able to present a compelling case to the jury.

"Terry Edmonds untimely death is a tragic waste of life. We hope that her family and friends will be able to take some comfort from the conviction of Philip Bell and the life sentence (to be) imposed by the judge."

Jo Millington, senior forensic scientist of the Homicide Department, Forensic Science Service, said: "In this case, we had to analyse an almost unprecedented range of different types of evidence to provide the police with the information they needed.

"The complex nature of the investigation demanded close collaboration with the police, so that we could share our intelligence as each new piece of the jigsaw came together."