“ARE you ‘avin’ a laugh?”

That was how killer Richard Canlin reacted when he was told he was under arrest on suspicion of murder in Lewes.

The 42-year-old failed to answer the door at Nicola Stevenson’s flat in Stansfield Road, Lewes.

He had set up home like a cuckoo in the nest after killing her by trying to change the tenancy and energy bills into his own name.

Police bodyworn footage shows the moment officers broke down the door of the flat, a month after 39-year-old Nicola Stevenson had gone missing.

In the video police tell him to stand clear of the door after he refused to open it, and he is seen standing with his hands up as they enter.

Police forensics experts found Nicola’s blood spattered inside her bedroom.

A picture of her with her children had also been removed.

Inside the washing machine there were still bloody sheets from her bed.

Nicola’s body was dumped 150 yards away off the Landport estate, where it was opened a month later by a dog walker.

The discovery caused shock in Lewes in November last year.

Canlin has been sentenced to life in prison for her murder after a trial at Hove Crown Court this week.

He will serve a minimum of 22 years before he is eligible for parole.