A MECHANIC has been found guilty of the manslaughter of an ex-bomb disposal expert whose body was not found for more than two years following a row over a debt.

Colin Gale, 40, inflicted fatal blows on father-of-two Mark Manning, 54, before enlisting Stewart Robertson to help dispose of the corpse in dense undergrowth in April 2014.

Prosecutors said a row over a £17,000 debt owed to Mr Manning from the sale of two vehicles ended with his friend Gale deciding to “finish him off” at P&B Car Sales garage in Western Road, Lancing.

Mr Manning had worked for the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a charity backed by Diana, Princess of Wales, which removes landmines and other hazards in some of the world’s poorest countries. He also bought and sold cars.

His last deployment with MAG was to the Philippines to help in response to the devastating typhoon Haiyan disaster, which claimed more than 5,000 lives, in February 2014.

Jurors at Lewes Crown Court heard Gale say he acted in self-defence.

He said Mr Manning turned up at his garage and swung at him with an axe, leading Gale to pick up a metre-long industrial wrench and hit him two or three times.

Gale told the jury: “He was just raging. I was terrified I would get the axe in me.

“I didn’t know he was being serious until he started swinging the axe.

“I hit him again because I was scared Mark would come back to get me.”

The five-week trial heard Robertson had walked in and seen the carnage. The pair decided to go home and return the following day to get rid of the evidence.

They searched the countryside for somewhere before eventually dumping him at Hampshire Hill near Slaugham.

Gale and Robertson were arrested in 2016 and in May of that year Robertson told police where the body was.

Gale, of Offington Lane, Worthing, denied murder and a jury convicted him of the lesser charge of manslaughter. He had earlier admitted preventing the lawful burial of Mr Manning’s body.

Robertson, of St Aubyns Road, Portslade, had denied preventing lawful burial but was convicted of the charge.

Relatives of Mr Manning, from King’s Road, Lancing, said following the verdicts that his father had “died with a broken heart” as he passed away before his body was found.

Mr Manning’s son, Kane Manning, 18, said: “My father was a hero. He saved many people’s lives around the world with his mine clearance work.

“I had an amazing bond with my father and I find it hard knowing my dad will never be around to see me grow up.

“I am so glad that justice has prevailed in the end.”

Mr Manning’s brother and sister, Russell and Anna, said their family had endured 32 months of “horror” as they paid tribute to a man who worked in some of the poorest countries in the world.

They said: “Mark’s loss is also felt around the world, where he diligently, professionally and with a cheerfulness, cleared unmarked minefields and provided humanitarian aid, at times within active war zones.

“Mark’s father died with a broken heart, not knowing of his son’s demise. We buried our father 12 weeks before Mark was found. They now lay together.”

Detective Chief Inspector Mike Ashcroft, of the Surrey and Sussex major crime team, said Gale put Mr Manning’s family through “a living nightmare”.

Mr Ashcroft said: “Gale killed Mark in a violent attack and then with Robertson dumped his body in a secluded spot. He then concocted a story about dropping Mark off at the railway station and continued to lie to Mark’s family and police.

“He has put Mark’s family through a living nightmare. They clung to the hope that Mark would one day walk back into their lives.

“However, Colin Gale knew that would never happen. He did not tell anyone what he did with Mark’s remains despite having many opportunities to do so.”

Both men will be sentenced later this month.

A BRUTAL AND BLOODY END TO A FRIENDSHIP

THEY had been good friends.

One was a mechanic and the other a car dealer. But on April 19, 2014 Colin Gale bludgeoned Mark Manning to death in a brutal attack.

Mr Manning, 54, had enjoyed a proud career in the Army before becoming a bomb disposal expert.

Among his many achievements were working for the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a charity supported by the late Diana, Princess of Wales, which removes landmines and other dangers in some of the world’s poorest countries.

But Mr Manning decided to move back home and spend more time with his family. He turned his hand to selling cars, and made a good living from it.

He also became friendly with mechanic Colin Gale, 40, who ran P&B Car Sales in Western Road, Worthing. The two would meet often, conduct deals and do work for each other.

But their friendship came to a bloody end in April 2014.

Gale, of Offington Lane, Worthing, owed his pal several thousands of pounds. He told his wife that the figure was around £150,000.

Mr Manning came to ask for his money but Gale said he didn’t have it.

Gale told the court that the father-of-two then attacked him with a axe, swinging it at him. Gale grabbed a metre-long industrial wrench and attacked back.

He told the court: “He was just raging. I was terrified I would get the axe in me. I couldn’t tell you what words he used. It happened so quickly. He was swinging the axe towards me and I said ‘Mark what are you doing?’ “I didn’t know he was being serious until he started swinging the axe.”

He told the jury he struck Mr Manning on the head before adding: “Mark was alive but I thought to myself he is the sort of bloke who would come back and get me. I had to finish him off or he would come back and get me.

“I hit him a couple more times. It was disgusting.”

Stewart Robertson, 50, of St Aubyns Road, Portslade, who worked at the garage came in and saw the carnage.

The pair decided to leave the body overnight and then return the following day to get rid of the evidence. They loaded the body into the back of a van and toured the countryside looking for a suitable place to dump it.

In the end they found a quiet spot in an opening in a hedgerow at Hampshire Hill near Slaugham.

In the days which followed Mr Manning’s family grew increasingly worried. A missing person alert was put out and his brother, Russell, appealed for information at a press conference.

All the while, Robertson and Gale kept quiet. Gale had told police he had dropped him at Worthing Station – and that was the last he had seen of him.

But suspicions were raised and police started to look into his story. CCTV footage from the station disputed his version of events and cell site mobile phone analysis revealed both Mr Manning and Gale had been at the garage.

Dogs and divers searched the grounds of Brooklands Pleasure Park in Worthing for a body after police received anonymous information that he had been murdered.

Nothing was found but later a police forensic team found spots of Mr Manning’s blood on the wall in the doorway of the garage.

Meanwhile Gale’s wife told police he had confessed to her that he had killed him and that he and Robertson had disposed of the body.

Gale was arrested on suspicion of murder in May 2015 and later charged in January 2016. Robertson was also arrested and told officers where the body was.

Dental records identified the body as Mr Manning and a post mortem revealed he had suffered severe head and facial injuries.

A forensic archaeologist found that the foliage around the site revealed that his remains had been there for two summers, indicating his body was taken there after he was killed.

It is almost three years since Mr Manning was killed. But finally we know what happened to him and who was responsible for his untimely death.

FAMILY’S HEARTACHE OVER LAST 32 MONTHS

MARK Manning’s son Kane, 18, paid an emotional tribute to his father.

Kane, who provided a picture of him with his father in their paintballing gear for The Argus, said: “My father was a hero. He saved many people’s lives around the world with his mine clearance work.

“I had an amazing bond with my father and I find it hard knowing my dad will never be around to see me grow up. I am so glad that justice has prevailed in the end.”

Mark’s brother and sister Russell and Anna described how the two-year wait to find his body and the build-up to the trial had affected their lives.

They said: “No words can convey the pain and horror endured physically and mentally by us and Mark’s children during the past 32 months.

“Mark’s loss is also felt around the world, where he diligently, professionally and with a cheerfulness cleared unmarked minefields and provided humanitarian aid, at times within active war zones.

“Mark’s father died with a broken heart, not knowing of his son’s demise.

“We buried our father 12 weeks before Mark was found. They now lay together. May they rest in peace.

“We would like say thank you to all of the police investigative team involved with seeking justice for Mark.

“At times this must have been very harrowing. Their professionalism and determination has always been respected by us. The family liaison officers have shown professionalism that at times must also have been hard.

“We now ask for everyone to respect our privacy to enable us to grieve for our much-loved brother.”