A MUSIC teacher was today found guilty of the murder of his fiancee who he strangled, battered and stabbed before storing her body in a suitcase in the garage.

Andrew Lindo, 29, originally from Stockton, admitted manslaughter but denied the murder of Marie Stewart at their home in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, on December 18 last year.

A jury at Bradford Crown Court rejected his claim that he lost self control following a row in which he accused her of mistreating their young daughter.

Miss Stewarts mother, Helen, was in tears after the jury of four women and eight men returned their verdict after less than an hour of deliberation.

Other members of the family, including her sister, Katie, were also crying in the packed public gallery.

Lindo, who wore a smart grey suit and was flanked by two security officers, showed little emotion.

He bowed his head as the foreman spoke and continued to look at the floor.

The judge, Mr Justice Andrew Smith, said Lindo will be sentenced tomorrow.

The jury heard Lindo admitted killing his partner, who was the mother of his two children, but he denied murder.

He did not give evidence from the witness box but described to police how he first strangled Miss Stewart and then, when she was still making noises, hit her with a child's chair and tried to choke her with a belt.

Lindo finally killed her by stabbing her 12 times with a kitchen knife.

The court heard he put her body in a flight bag and then put the case in the basement garage of their town house on Perseverance Place, Holmfirth.

All this took place with his young son and daughter in the house.

The jury heard he comforted his children after murdering their mother and carried on as normal.

For seven weeks Lindo convinced Miss Stewart's family and friends she was still alive, setting up an elaborate smokescreen using Facebook and her mobile phone texting service, telling everyone she had left him and moved abroad.

But, when friends and family became suspicious, the police were called.

They searched the house and found the body on February 13.

The court heard Lindo - "an inveterate and accomplished liar" - had been living a double life, having affairs with a number of women.

He collected one of these women, Angela Rylance, within hours of killing Miss Stewart and brought her back to the house where they cuddled through the night.