THE man who faked his own death off Guernsey in October 1993 has again been found guilty of murdering his wife. Russell Causley will continue his life sentence for the killing of Veronica Packman after a retrial at Exeter Crown Court.

Mrs Packman’s body has never been found.

Sentencing him, Mrs Justice Hallett said what he had done was ‘beyond the understanding of most normal people’.

‘Not only did you kill your wife and somehow dispose of her body, you left your daughter in a permanent state of ignorance as to her mother’s fate.

‘In my mind, you are a self-centred and calculating killer.

‘Your mistress appears to be of the same kind and I am not surprised she has not dared show her face in this court. You are, in my judgement, a wicked pair.’

Causley killed his wife in June 1985 and was first convicted in December 1996. This conviction was quashed in June 2003 when the Court of Appeal ordered a retrial.

He murdered his wife shortly after moving his mistress into the family home in Bournemouth, Dorset.

He then changed his name to Causley, his mistress’ name, and set up a ‘series of deceits’ to give the impression his wife was still alive.

He claimed she had gone abroad with a man in a red Porsche or was working or living in Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland or Malta.

In 1993, Causley faked his own disappearance from a yacht off Guernsey to claim the insurance money.

Detective Inspector Phil Falla of Guernsey Police tracked him down and was formally commended in 1997 for his contribution to the inquiry.

He investigated claims that Causley was lost overboard from the yacht travelling from Guernsey to France.

DI Falla debunked the story and discovered the plot to collect the insurance money, which saw Causley convicted of fraud.