A BRUTAL and remorseless killer who strangled his girlfriend before hiding and dumping her body has been jailed for 17 years.

Robert Richardson, 27, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court yesterday for the murder of care worker Susan Cooper.

Last December Richardson strangled Miss Cooper, 30, then hid the body in a wardrobe at his Hall Lane bedsit in Thornhill, Dewsbury.

He only moved the corpse more than a week later, when his new, teenage girlfriend complained about the smell, unaware of the source.

Richardson then tried to get rid of the body - which was wrapped in bin liners and duvet covers - by stuffing it in a wheeled bin and dumping it in the Calder and Hebble Navigation Canal at Thornhill in the dead of night.

But the plastic bin floated. So Richardson fished it out and hid Miss Cooper's decomposing corpse in nearby bracken.

It was later discovered by a dog walker.

A jury at Leeds Crown Court found Richardson guilty of Miss Cooper's murder on Thursday.

Mitigating for Richardson yesterday, barrister Jeremy Richardson QC said there was a history of violence between the couple, with both responsible.

But sentencing Richardson, the Recorder of Leeds, Judge Norman Jones, said the defendant had sought to present himself as the one under regular attack from a demented and drunken partner - which was false.

He added: "It may well be that she had got herself a knife at a stage in that. But once she was on the floor she was in no position to assist herself.

"You got hold of her with both hands and you squeezed the life from her body.

"It was a brutal act and I'm satisfied that you knew full well what you were doing at that time."

Judge Jones said he was also satisfied that Richardson was a callous man with little deep feeling.

He said he was a man of callous indifference, showed a total lack of remorse and a manipulative determination.

He went on: "You are a threat to any woman you live with."

Judge Jones sentenced Richardson, who spent six months in custody while on remand, to 17 years in prison.

He also praised polices in the case for their work at a "very high level".

Speaking after the sentence was passed the victim's parents, Alex and Susan Cooper, said their daughter was greatly missed.

They added: "She loved life and would do anything for anyone. She was very good-hearted and helped a lot of people out. Her job involved looking after the elderly.

"We are devastated by her death and still can't come to terms with the fact that she is no longer here with us," they said.

Senior investigating officer Det Supt Graham Shaw said he agreed with the judge's remarks. He added: "This man is a danger to women.

"This was a complicated inquiry and I'm pleased with the result.

"I'm happy that the family can have some sort of closure at last."