Victor Miller, a computer operator, indecently assaulted and murdered a 14-year-old boy after abducting him on his paper round in Hagley, Worcestershire, in 1988.

Police believe he may have carried out 28 further sexual assaults; it was after being arrested for another attack that Miller led police to the boy's battered body, hidden under a pile of leaves.

The court heard that he preyed on paper boys because they were particularly vulnerable. Has asked to remain in prison for the rest of his life.

Victor Miller (born 1956) is a notorious British child killer currently serving a life sentence.

Miller, a homosexual from Penn Fields, Wolverhampton, abducted 14 year old newspaper delivery boy Stuart Gough, an asthmatic, as he completed his round in Hagley, Worcestershire, in February 1988.

He sexually assaulted Stuart before hitting him repeatedly with a rock and dumping his body in remote woodland in Hertfordshire.

A fortnight later, after fruitless use of helicopters and underwater search teams, Miller's arrest for an unconnected assault prompted him to confess to Stuart's murder and lead police to his body, hidden under a pile of leaves.

During preliminary court proceedings, Miller wrote a letter to Hereford Magistrates Court to express his regrets and ask for justice to be done. It later transpired that he had preyed on newspaper boys as he felt they were especially vulnerable.

Miller was sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he serve 30 years. Police later revealed that they suspected Miller, who worked in computers, was responsible for almost 30 other sexual assaults. Miller's gay lover said after the trial that he still loved him but would not condone nor forgive his actions.

A whole life tariff was subsequently issued to Miller by the Home Secretary, putting him a small and select band of criminals who were informed that they would die in jail.

After the European Court of Human Rights declared a politically-set tariff illegal, Miller's tariff was reset at 30 years. Stuart's family were later informed that Miller's case would be reviewed after 25 years, and for every five years thereafter, meaning that the earliest possible release date for Miller is in 2013.

For his part, Miller himself has requested never to be released. His trial judge had also spoken of his uncertainty as to whether it would ever be safe to release Miller.

Killer pleads for 'justice'

Expressandstar.com

Wolverhampton warehouseman Victor Miller confessed to the abduction and horrific killing of Hagley newspaper boy Stuart Gough in February - and said he wanted the maximum sentence available.

He told Hereford magistrates in a statement: "I can never make up for taking Stuart from his family.

"But I would ask that justice will be done, and I will receive the maximum sentence available.

Miller, aged 32, of Lennox Gardens, Penn Fields, remained silent as the charges were put to him in a hushed courtroom.

He was accused of murdering the 14-year-old boy and of carrying him away. Miller was jailed for life.

In the case which horrified the nation, the victim's partially clothed body was found in remote Herefordshire woodland.

Stuart, an asthmatic, vanished after delivering his last newspaper in Hagley two weeks previously.

The hunt for the newspaper boy covered two weeks and his family were inundated with flowers and letters of support - from as far afield as Canada, Holland and Germany.

Miller's gay lover, Trevor Peacher, broke down in tears saying he loved Miller but could not condone what he had done.

More than 170 police officers, including 80 detectives, as well as an underwater search unit and police helicopters were used in the inquiry.

The Clent Hills were repeatedly scoured by dog handlers and mounted police. West Mercia detectives eventually found Stuart's body.