Murderer David MacBride lied to the end as he was sentenced to life in prison for brutally killing an elderly boat owner.

MacBride slowly shook his head as he was led from the dock after being unanimously convicted of the murder of Robert Saint, who he bludgeoned to death on his 42ft motor cruiser.

The train guard repeatedly struck Mr Saint over the head in the hold of The Sundowner before dumping his body at sea.

MacBride, of Bramber Close, Bognor, told lie upon lie after becoming obsessed with the vessel moored at Birdham Pool, near Chichester.

Right until the verdict, delivered by the jury after three-and-a-half hours of deliberation, he insisted the tragedy was a bizarre series of accidents and misfortune.

But MacBride's web of deceit was carefully picked apart by detectives.

He offered to buy the boat with £120,000 in cash, a sum he claimed he found on a train: Lie.

When first interviewed by police, he said he had dropped Mr Saint off at the harbour in Portsmouth: Lie.

He then told the court Mr Saint fell and banged his head in the hold of the ship: Lie.

He said when he found the body he panicked and covered the head with a plastic bag and attached a knife to make it look like a bizarre accident: Lie.

He claimed he then threw away a holdall containing the £120,000 because it caused "nothing but problems": Another lie.

Detective Chief Inspector Tony O'Donnell, who headed the investigation, said: "He was a malevolent, manipulative liar and that has been shown by the verdict."

Passing sentence at Lewes Crown Court, Judge Richard Brown said: "The jury has convicted you of on just about the clearest evidence of murder that can possibly be presented in such a trial.

"We may never know why you chose to end the life of this 70-year-old man.

"Everything that this court has heard about Bob Saint is of a man who enjoyed life, he enjoyed entertaining other people, he valued friendship and he cared for others.

"In a horrendous and wicked act of violence, you have taken his life and deprived a son of his father and removed a cherished companion from his close friends.

"For this ultimate act of evil, the law demands but one sentence - life imprisonment."

There were tears in the eyes of friends and relatives of Mr Saint as the foreman of jury announced the verdict.

Outside the court, close friend Cynthia Foulkes stood with Mr Saint's son Glen to pay tribute to the widower.

She said: "He could make you laugh when you thought your world had come to an end.

"Over the past months we thought it had but then we would recount a funny story involving Bob and, though he is no longer with us, he still had the ability to make us laugh."

Mrs Foulkes said Mr Saint, of Horsham Road, Steyning, was a "much-loved father and friend" who involved himself in many activities but loved nothing more than a meal with friends.

She said: "Glen and I would like to say we are greatly comforted by the verdict.

"Nothing will ever compensate us for the loss of Bob but today justice was done and it can help us move on."

She thanked the police for their handling of the investigation, a sentiment supported by Judge Brown who said it was "careful, thorough and expert".

He told the court: "It is my pleasure on this occasion to commend the officers in charge for the quality of their work."