Murderer George Naylor, right, was today convicted of the brutal killing of Bradford prostitute Maureen Stepan - for the second time.

And the judge recommended he should not be released for at least 20 years.

Naylor, 54, of Alva Terrace, Shipley, bowed his head as the jury delivered their majority verdict at Sheffield Crown Court after nine hours.

He had previously been found guilty of murdering the 18-year-old in her flat in Girlington in June 1995 but had a retrial after appealing against the decision.

Speaking after the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Allan Docherty, of Toller Lane police, said he was relieved for Maureen's family. He said: "George Naylor is an evil and very dangerous man. The public of West Yorkshire has been well served by this conviction."

And Fiona Broadfoot, Maureen's cousin was elated at the verdict: "It is fantastic. The monster is caged. I hope he never breathes another breath of fresh air again."

Speaking on behalf of the family, she spoke about her disgust about the retrial.

"It was a waste of public money. There is something wrong with the legal system if monsters like this are allowed a second chance at getting off."

"Maureen has already been dragged through the dirt at the first trial and now we've been through it again. It has been a trauma for both our family and Naylor's."

Three women jurors broke down as they heard Naylor's previous convictions which included a 15-year sentence in 1976 for the robbery and rape of a Bradford pensioner. He served 10 years and only eight weeks weeks after his release was convicted of the manslaughter of a Bradford prostitute.

Mrs Justice Hebsworth said: "What you did to her was to pick her up of the streets, you killed her and then degraded her body."

'The nearest thing to a serial killer'

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.