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| Man guilty of teenager's 1993 murder | Man guilty of teenager's 1993 murder |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Former milkman Colin Ash-Smith, 46, has been found guilty of murdering 16-year-old Claire Tiltman in Kent in 1993. | Former milkman Colin Ash-Smith, 46, has been found guilty of murdering 16-year-old Claire Tiltman in Kent in 1993. |
| She was stabbed repeatedly in an alleyway in Greenhithe as she was on the way to visit a friend. | She was stabbed repeatedly in an alleyway in Greenhithe as she was on the way to visit a friend. |
| Ash-Smith was already serving life sentences for attacks on two women, close to where Claire was killed. | |
| Claire, who was studying for her GCSEs at Dartford Grammar School, was murdered four days after her 16th birthday. | Claire, who was studying for her GCSEs at Dartford Grammar School, was murdered four days after her 16th birthday. |
| The jury at the Inner London Crown Court took three hours to reach their verdict. | The jury at the Inner London Crown Court took three hours to reach their verdict. |
| 'Strived for justice' | |
| Claire's parents, Linda and Cliff, died before her killer could be brought to justice. | Claire's parents, Linda and Cliff, died before her killer could be brought to justice. |
| Her friend, Emma Edwards, said: "Her parents strived to get justice for her for so long, and although they are not here to see it in person they never gave up. | |
| "To finally have seen justice through is a huge relief. | "To finally have seen justice through is a huge relief. |
| "We wanted to make sure her memory lived on, and she wasn't forgotten." | "We wanted to make sure her memory lived on, and she wasn't forgotten." |
| Ash-Smith was arrested just hours after attacking a 21-year-old woman with a knife in Greenhithe in October 1995. | |
| In a search of his Ford Capri half a school tie was found which had been used in the rape, kidnap and attempted murder of a 27-year-old woman in Swanscombe in December 1988. | |
| After a 21-year investigation into Claire's death, Ash-Smith was arrested in February and charged with her murder. | |
| Det Supt Rob Vinson from Kent Police said: "Every single one of the Kent Police officers who have worked on this case over the last two decades have refused to allow Claire's killer to go unaccounted for and escape justice. | |
| "The investigation team has meticulously built this case over a number of years." |