A deputy headmaster, Sion Jenkins, was last night beginning a life sentence for the murder of his 13-year-old foster daughter Billie-Jo.
The guilty verdict was greeted with loud cheers and shouts from Billie-Jo's natural family who had sat through the 20-day trial at Lewes Crown Court.
Jailing Jenkins for life, the judge, Mr Justice Gage, told him: "The fact that you committed this crime, the circumstances in which it was committed and the way in which it was committed in my judgment demonstrated that you are a very considerable danger to the community.
"There is only one sentence. You will be sentenced to the equivalent of life."
Jenkins, who had denied bludgeoning Billie-Jo to death with a metal tent spike at the family home in Hastings, east Sussex, on February 15th last year, showed no emotion as the eight-man and four-woman jury returned a unanimous verdict after more than 10 1/2 hours of deliberations.
As the packed public gallery erupted, Jenkins was hustled from the dock by court security staff and two of his own bodyguards.
Two women jurors wept as Jenkins returned to be sentenced five minutes later.
Jenkins murdered his foster daughter as she painted the patio doors of the family home on a Saturday afternoon after a day of frustrating car journeys and dull household chores.
He and his social worker wife, Lois (36), had fostered Billie-Jo since 1992 and she had become part of their family with their four natural daughters aged between seven and 12.
Mrs Jenkins, who was not in court yesterday and has not attended one day of the trial, issued a statement through her solicitor.
She said: "Sixteen months ago I returned with two of my children from a quiet Saturday afternoon walk on the beach to a tragedy more horrific than any person expects to encounter in a lifetime.
"It is a terrible thing to realise that the man with whom you have lived for 14 years, the father of your children, is capable of murdering your child. There is no reason, no explanation for such a pointless waste of a young life."
It was the couple's two elder daughters Annie, then aged 12 and Lottie, then 10, who found Billie-Jo's body covered in blood after they returned from a shopping trip concocted by their father to distance himself from the murder scene.
Jenkins had moved his family from London to Hastings in 1992 to take up the post of deputy headmaster at William Parker Boys' School in the seaside town.
A charge of lying about his qualifications and teaching experience to gain the post was left on the file at the request of the prosecution. On his application form, Jenkins had falsely claimed to have attended top public school Gordonstoun.
He claimed to have a host of qualifications including a degree from the University of Kent, a postgraduate certificate in education and an MSc. In fact, he only had a general certificate in education from Nonnington College of Physical Education.
Billie-Jo was fostered from the age of eight by Jenkins and he and his wife had recently been granted a residency order granting them permanent guardianship.
As the jury's guilty verdict was returned to a hushed court, the relatives of Billie-Jo's natural father leapt to their feet shouting "Yes". Billie-Jo's natural father, Bill Jenkins (no relation to the defendant) sat slumped with his head in his hands as he listened to his daughter's killer being jailed for life.
The judge said he would be reflecting his fears that Jenkins was a danger to the community in his report to the Home Secretary.
Outside the court, Mr Bill Jenkins embraced members of the police investigation team. Mr Jenkins (41) had left the court shortly after the verdict on his daughter's killer saying he never doubted Sion Jenkins's guilt.
The unemployed painter-decorator from east London said outside the court: "I never had any doubt in my mind. I don't feel anything for Sion Jenkins.
"The last 16 months I have been living in a daze. The daze has gone now. I've got no feelings for him."
Billie-Jo's natural mother, Debbie, said in a statement that the jury had obviously not been taken in by Jenkins, whom she called "a liar".
Jenkins's solicitor, Mr Brendan Salsbury, said: "We are disappointed with the result. We are already planning an appeal."