JUSTICE finally caught up with the man who sparked an international murder mystery - after eight years of lies, deceit and breath-taking arrogance.

Wife killer Robert Lund was jailed for 12 years after a day of high drama and raw emotion in the Cour d'Assises de Tarn, Albi, southern France.

The nine-strong jury took three-and-a-half hours to dismiss Lund's claim that his wife Evelyn's Toyota 4x4 ended up at the bottom of a lake by accident after she took a wrong turn on her way home.

Instead they believed that he killed her after a row at their farmhouse in the village of La Veaute and pushed the vehicle, with her inside, into the water to cover up his violent attack.

He was cleared of murder, as the jury did not believe that he intended to kill the 52-year-old, mother-of-three, but was convicted of the lesser offence of involuntary homicide.

Lund, 55, collapsed on hearing the verdict and after being sentenced by President (judge) Jacques Richardi.

And he had to be supported by gendarmes as he was led out of the dock to a waiting police van, his face stony-white with shock.

The decision, by a majority of 8-1, finally provided some answers for the former Darwen and Burnley woman's family, who had to wait 22 months for her body to be discovered and a further six years for justice.

Daughters Victoria Taylor, Elizabeth Camden, and Patricia Kay, son-in-law Lance Camden and brother Gerard Wilkinson openly wept at the jury's decision and afterwards, as they gave their reaction.

And they said they were heartbroken by Lund's failure to put them out of their misery and reveal exactly what happened on the night of Evelyn's death.

In a joint statement, read by Gerard, they said: "There is nothing that will ever compensate the family for the loss of Evelyn.

"The family has always believed Mr Lund was responsible for Evelyn's death. We just wish he had had it in him to admit this so we wouldn't have had to endure the past eight years."

Mr Wilkinson said his sister would be remembered as the warm, generous woman that her family and true long standing friends knew her to be, not the unhappy and depressed woman that Mr Lund turned her into.

He said: "She was a loving mother, grandmother, daughter and sister, caring and generous and she always put the needs of others before her own.

"We have found the last week very emotional, tiring and at times extremely painful. We have faced this as a family and continue to do so."

Lund's brother Neville was left in shock. He said: "We are absolutely devastated. We are all wrecked. Our lives are wrecked. I can't believe they came back with a verdict like that.

"There are so many grey areas. Robert is totally shocked. It's a wonder he's not dead. He went stone cold and nearly passed out.

"We are absolutely devastated but we will fight on.

"We will keep going until we get justice because it has not been done in court."

Marianne Ramsey, the last woman to see Evelyn alive, said: "Justice has been done. I am absolutely thrilled about the result. This has been a cloud over our lives for the last eight years. I am delighted as well for the family, who have been suffering for so long.

"It is at least some sort of closure for them. They have been so dignified. Their mother would have been so proud of them. Evelyn has been portrayed as a hysterical drunk and that is just not true.

"She was one of the kindest, most generous people you could ever wish to meet and I will always remain friends with the family."

Evelyn disappeared on December 29, 1999, after visiting Mrs Ramsey and her husband Alan.

Her body was discovered on October 13, 2002 in nearby Lac de la Bancalie after the water level had fallen during a drought.

Lund said that his wife had never returned home on the night of her disappearance but her glasses were later discovered at the farmhouse.

And the Ramseys said she was wearing them when she arrived at their house.

The clothes found on Evelyn's body also differed from those she was wearing the last time she was seen alive - indicating that she had been home and changed so she could feed her animals.

The prosecution said that Lund, a former Blackburn Council tree protection officer, previously of Anyon Street, Darwen, had killed his wife so he could live off her life insurance.

And experts agreed that the Toyota could not have ended up in the water by accident because it was not in gear and the driver's seat was pushed too far back for Evelyn to be able to reach the pedals.

Her body was found on the back seat and there was a large patch of blood, indicating that she had been beaten to the head.

Police were alerted to Lund's possible guilt when he showed in-depth knowledge of the crime scene on a trip to the lake with Lancashire Telegraph journalists in 2003.

Whilst there, he re-enacted the so-called accident' which claimed his wife's life - an act later described in court as a "grotesque pantomime."

The jury was asked to consider four questions: 1. Did Lund act with violence towards his wife? They answered Yes' 2. Did that lead to him killing her? They answered Yes' 3. Did he intend to kill her? They answered No' 4. Were they husband and wife at the time? They answered Yes' The last question was important as Lund's sentence was more severe because the couple were married.

Lund told the jury his wife's drinking meant she would sometimes "erupt in violence" and that she had once attacked him with a 10-inch (25cm) long knife.

But he failed to report his wife's disappearance for three days.

After the case, the man who led the inquiry, Major Jean claude van Batten said: "In the end, justice has been objective this week and the truth has finally been seen."

Det Supt Steve Brunskill of Lancashire police, who has been involved in the case since 2000, said: "To be with the family and Major Batten at court today to finally witness justice for Evelyn has been a very satisfying and emotional experience.

"I hope now that Robert Lund will tell the truth and state exactly what happened that night between Evelyn and himself "