A 59-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering Stevenage 24-year-old Samantha Wright and hiding her body at his home for 16 months.

The jury at Scotland’s High Court returned its majority verdict today (Thursday) on Robert Chalmers who was convicted of killing Samantha at his Edinburgh home in June 2008.

The former Archer Road resident and Bedwell Primary and Nobel School pupil was reported missing by her family on what would have been her 25th birthday in January 2009.

Her body was found in a wheelie bin in Chalmers’ back garden by police in October 2009.

In summing up after four week’s evidence, the prosecution said the father-of-eleven, known locally as ‘Papa Smurf’ because of his white beard, was an aggressive drunk who treated young women with contempt.

Chalmers had denied all charges, blaming a Romanian Big Issue seller and sometime lodger at his house for Samantha’s death.

Sentence was deferred until June 2 for background reports.