A former Territorial Army soldier was this morning found guilty of the murder of grandmother Shirley Leach at Bury Interchange 12 years ago.

Ian O'Callaghan,(38), of Wragby Close, Brandlesholme, Bury, was given a life sentence at Manchester Crown Court, and is to serve a minimum term of 28 years.

O'Callaghan, who denied the charge, collapsed in the dock when the verdict was announced and protested his innocence.

The body of Mrs Leach (66), of Holme Avenue, Brandlesholme, was discovered in a toilet cubicle where she had been sexually assaulted and mutilated.

The court had heard how DNA found at the crime scene in January 7, 1994, was matched to O'Callaghan after he had been involved in a road accident earlier this year.

Dr Jonathan Whitaker, a senior forensic scientist, told the court that the chance of the DNA not belonging to O'Callaghan was "one in a billion".

The defendant claimed the evidence linking him to the murder was "coincidental" and he denied setting foot in Bury Interchange.

The killing was labelled Bury's biggest unsolved murder until the breakthrough was made in March this yar and O'Callaghan was arrested.