FINALLY, today, Vikki Thompson's family heard the word they have waited 15 years for: Guilty.

Mark Weston, 35, was today convicted of killing Mrs Thompson in Ascott-under-Wychwood in 1995.

It has been a long and painful 15 years for the family - it was Mrs Thompson's husband Jonathan who found her mortally wounded by a railway emabnkment after she did not come home from walking their dog.

After Weston was sentenced today at Reading Crown Court, Mr Thompson said: "Today justice has been done.

"It has taken over 15 years to arrive at this point but finally we have justice for Vikki and we are grateful for that.

"It has taken a change in the double jeopardy law and an advancement in DNA technology and a lot of hard work from the Police Cold Case Review team to get us to this point today.

“So, justice has been done in the court but, ultimately, there is no justice in death.

“Mark Weston will be looked after in prison. Vikki is never coming back.

“The death of a loved one, be it a wife, mother, daughter or sister – and Vikki was all of those – torments those who are left and it is worse when it is in such horrendous circumstances as this.

“When Mark Weston killed my wife and the mother of our two children he took a part of me and them that will never come back.

“We have to live with that. We have had to since Vikki died and we will have to for the rest of our lives.

“So, there is no such thing as closure for us. Today marks the end of a chapter and we are pleased with the result but, while Mark Weston will one day be a free man again, we will never be free of the unbearable anguish that he brought to us on that day in 1995 when he killed our darling Vikki.

“Finally, I want to thank Pete Beirne in particular and the Thames Valley Police for all the diligent work that they have put in over many years, in order to bring Mark Weston back to court.

“They never gave up and they are the unsung heroes today.

“Thank you.”