This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/kent/7889153.stm

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Man guilty of suitcase body death Man guilty of suitcase body death
(30 minutes later)
A homeless man has been found guilty of the murder of a teenage girl whose body was found in a suitcase.A homeless man has been found guilty of the murder of a teenage girl whose body was found in a suitcase.
The jury in a retrial at Maidstone Crown Court convicted Philip Bell, 23, of strangling 17-year-old Terry Edmonds, in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.The jury in a retrial at Maidstone Crown Court convicted Philip Bell, 23, of strangling 17-year-old Terry Edmonds, in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
Her body was discovered in a suitcase underneath a car park ramp on 29 April 2006, 12 days after she disappeared.Her body was discovered in a suitcase underneath a car park ramp on 29 April 2006, 12 days after she disappeared.
The court heard Bell, who denied murder, sexually assaulted and killed Terry Edmonds, during a "lost hour". The court heard Bell, who denied murder, sexually assaulted and killed Terry Edmonds during a "lost hour".
Following the verdict, Det Ch Insp Dave Withers, said: " Terry was a young, vibrant, popular woman with a life to look forward to. That life was tragically taken from her prematurely. Jurors were told that Bell fatally attacked the teenager after "luring" her to the stairwell of Morrisons car park where he slept rough.
'Horrific crime' 'Lost hour'
Earlier the court heard that Bell carried out the murder on Easter Monday between 1830 and 1930 GMT, which the prosecution referred to as the "lost hour".
Prosecutor Anthony Haycroft said Bell loved exercising power over women and this time it went too far and he smothered Ms Edmonds.
Bell, of no fixed abode, initially told police he was not in the car park during that hour, and later claimed he was smoking cannabis on a stairwell landing.Bell murdered Terry Edmonds during a 'lost hour'
Jurors viewed CCTV footage which showed Mr Bell walking along a path towards a car park by Tunbridge Wells railway station two seconds after Ms Edmonds emerged from the station.
The prosecution said the fact that Ms Edmonds' body was moved from the stairwell where Mr Bell lived pointed to him.
Following the verdict, Det Ch Insp Dave Withers, said: "Terry was a young, vibrant, popular woman with a life to look forward to. That life was tragically taken from her prematurely.
"This was a complex inquiry, and one that built up as we gathered evidence and looked at the events surrounding Terry's disappearance."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."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."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." "We were able through a meticulous investigation, painstaking research by the FSS [Forensic Science Service] and careful and thorough preparation by the Crown Prosecution Service to prove that Bell was guilty."