SPEAKING after the verdict, former Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher who led the investigation into the Sian O'Callaghan murder said: "I am very pleased that Karen Edwards has finally seen justice done for her beautiful daughter Becky, who was brutally murdered by Christopher Halliwell.

"She has fought a very dignified battle for the past five and a half years to bring Halliwell to court and she should not have had to. I hope she finds some comfort in this verdict.

"I thank Karen for her resilience and determination to obtain justice for her beloved daughter. Halliwell is an evil and depraved violator of women."

Mr Fulcher resigned after arguments about the admissibility of the evidence and he was accused of not following proper procedure.

"I did all I could to find an abducted girl, Sian O’Callaghan, in an effort to save her life; the first duty of a police officer," said Mr Fulcher.

"I also recovered a second victim of Halliwell’s murder; Becky, returning her to her loved ones after eight years of their misery.

"I caught a serial killer; preventing any further girls being murdered.

"I adhered to the ACPO kidnap principles.

"Halliwell had to be arrested as he was about to commit suicide.

"As the law stands, the expectation was that I should have prioritised Halliwell’s right to silence and legal protection, over Sian O’Callaghan’s right to life. The irony is that, preventing the death of the offender would cost his victim her life.

"I remain convinced that the action that I took in allowing Halliwell to take me to the bodies of both Sian and Becky, was the right and moral thing to do. In so doing, I felt that I correctly prioritised the human rights of the victims and their families, balanced against the rights of the perpetrator.

"The stance that Halliwell has taken since his confession to both murders, as demonstrated during this trial, I believe vindicate the actions that I took.

"It is perfectly clear that, had I not acted as I did, neither Sian nor Becky would ever have been found and Halliwell would be free to abduct and kill other girls.

"My actions are deemed by the police service to be acts of gross misconduct for which my dismissal and prosecution were sought.

"The public will need to know how this can be, and what the police will do on behalf of their loved ones who are missing (over 300,000 missing people are reported to the police each year).

"When the extraordinary facts of this case are explained it is likely to lead to a public crisis of confidence in the competence and credibility of the police service.

"Despite everything that has happened to me, I cannot regret the decisions that I took that day. Ultimately, that decision ensured the return of two beautiful young women, which bought comfort to their families and ensured that Halliwell has been duly convicted of both murders.

"Now the trial is over and I am no longer a serving police officer, I am able to put these issues into the public domain for the first time.

"I would like to prevent any family having to suffer the same agony that Karen Edwards has had to endure.

"I want to ensure that any senior investigating officer, faced with crimes in action, is able to take the right decision without suffering the repercussions I experienced whilst performing my duty."