FROM the moment police began to investigate the murder of Accrington businessman David Guilfoyle they were faced with one major problem the lack of a body.

Today, as Shane Fitzpatrick, 36, of Hapton, begins a life sentence for killing his ex-wife's lover in a jealous rage, we look at how police gained a conviction and speak to some of those people closest to the victim.

MORE than 140 officers and police staff worked for over a year to secure the conviction of Shane Fitzpatrick, a man who police described as being an "extremely violent and dangerous".

The investigation began when worried friends of 37-year-old David Guilfoyle first reported him missing to the police on May 27 last year, two days after he was last seen.

But the missing person inquiry soon turned into a murder investigation after blood was found at Mr Guilfoyle's home in Royds Avenue, Accrington.

When officers arrived they found his computer turned on and connected to the internet, along with his wallet, car keys and passport still in the house.

On May 30, three days after officers first arrived at Mr Guilfoyle's home, there was a breakthrough. A torch, which was found to contain Fitz-patrick's DNA, was found at the house on top of a hose reel.

At first it did not seem that there were any signs of a attack at the house but forensic experts using the chemical luminol, which detects blood, found traces of Mr Guilfoyle's blood splattered around his front door. His blood was also found across his driveway and on the pavement outside his house.

It was officially classed as a crime scene and the investigation was upgraded.

Fitzpatrick became a suspect almost right away, after officers discovered the missing man had been seeing his ex-wife, Debbie Fitzpatrick, and had threatened to kill him.

He was first spoken to about Mr Guilfoyle's disappearance on May 31 and was arrested by police on Friday, June 3.

He was released by officers but rearrested on June 7 and questioned for three days before being released again.

On July 27 he was again arrested by police and the following day he was charged with murdering Mr Guilfoyle.

Since May 27 2005, a team of 25 detectives have followed more than 1,000 lines of inquiry to find his body and piece evidence together.

More than 370 witnesses were interviewed and 723 statements were taken.

Officers have searched across Lancashire and even parts of Yorkshire in a bid to find his body. In July last year a secluded quarry in Hapton was cordoned off after bags of flesh were found but tests revealed the bags did not contain human remains.

A £5,000 reward was put up for information to help trace his killer and Mr Guilfoyle's then daughter Sammy Feeley, then 15, braved a press conference to ask for help in solving the crime.

For the senior investigating officer, DCI Steve Brunskill, it is not the first time that he has had a successful conviction in a murder case without a body.

Zainab Begum, a mother of six, disappeared from her home in Accrington, in January 2003 and in December 2004 her son-in-law Muhammed Arshad, 37, was found guilty of murder. Her body has never been found.

David Guilfoyle's family hopes his killer will save them from having to endure the same trauma.