A FORMER Rochdale taxi driver has been found guilty of the murder of Turf Hill schoolgirl Lesley Molseed – 32 years after her death.

At the end of a 12-day trial, the jury at Bradford Crown Court voted 10-2 to convict Ronald Castree, a 53-year-old comic book dealer of Brandon Crescent, Shaw, after over 11 hours of deliberation.

He was jailed for life and told he must serve a minimum of 30 years.

As he was led from the dock on Monday afternoon Castree cried: "I did not do it."

After the sentencing, Lesley’s mother, April Garrett, read a statement outside the court.

She said: "We are relieved that after so long our quest for justice for Lesley is now over. It has been a long and harrowing ordeal and our gratitude to the family, friends and strangers throughout the world who have given us their support is immense.

"We would particularly like to thank the West Yorkshire Police, whose dedication and professionalism played a key role in the outcome today. They have been more than police, they have been friends."

Passing sentence, Mr Justice Openshaw said: "This was a truly dreadful crime. Lesley Molseed was only 11. She was vulnerable, not just because of her age, but because of her learning difficulties."

He said to Castree: "You approached her, you would have no difficulty in luring her away for she was trusting. You repeatedly stabbed her. You left her for dead, drove back to Rochdale and carried on wirth the rest of your life as if nothing had happened.

"It was a pretence you have kept up for 32 years. The past has now caught up with you."

As Castree was taken from the court he tried to address the Judge, shouting: "My Lord," but was cut off by Mr Justice Openshaw with the words: "No. You have had your say."

The conviction marks the end of one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.

The 53-year-old abducted the 11-year-old on October 5 1975 after she left her home in Delamere Road, Turf Hill, to run an errand to the local shops for her mother.

Putting her into his car he drove to a layby off the Oldham-to-Ripponden Road.

He then forced her up onto Rishworth Moor where he sexually assaulted her and stabbed her 12 times.

Her body was found three days later.

But the former taxi driver, who a jury convicted on Monday of the horrific killing, was able to live the life of a free man for more than 30 years after ‘gentle giant’ Stefan Kiszko was wrongly convicted of the murder.

It followed a false confession he said police had bullied him into.

He served 16 years in jail before being freed on appeal in 1992 after a fresh police investigation revealed he could not have produced the semen left behind on the little girl's clothes.

Stefan died a broken man at the age of 41 just before Christmas 1993.

His mother Charlotte, who had always believed in her son's innocence and campaigned for his release, died six months later.

Castree had been convicted of abducting and sexually assaulting another little girl from Rochdale in similar circumstances just nine months after killing Lesley - but despite this he had never been a suspect in the case or the later reinvestigation.

He was brought to justice after police took a DNA swab when he was arrested on suspicion of another unrelated matter.

Thanks to astonishing scientific advances experts had been able to extract a DNA profile from samples taken from Lesley's clothing. Castree was a billion to one match.

The jury's majority verdict follows 12 day trial at Bradford Crown Court.

Lesley's mum April was in court throughout.