A MURDERER who drove a decommissioned Brighton and Hove bus to the airport in a getaway attempt has been jailed.

Dane Messam killed his girlfriend Helen Anderson and dumped her body by the roadside before trying to flee the country.

The couple had booked flights to Jamaica, but Messam, 52, called to cancel his partner's ticket the day her body was found in August last year.

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Ms Anderson, a 41-year-old mother of four, was discovered wrapped in a duvet and plastic sheet in a wooded area near the A3 in Guildford.

The Argus: Helen Anderson Helen Anderson

The pair, who’d been in a relationship for five years, regularly travelled on a double decker Brighton and Hove bus - most recently to Brighton.

The day after Ms Anderson’s body was discovered, Messam drove the bus into London, but broke down and was forced to call a breakdown service.

Pictures taken by the recovery agent showed brushes and water buckets onboard.

The next day, Messam was planning on driving the bus to a storage location before boarding his flight, police said.

Instead, he drove to Guilford, passing the location where he had disposed of Ms Anderson's body, and onto Oxfordshire where he was arrested on suspicion of murder at a petrol station.

In custody, he told officers: "I’m going to prison for this, and I don’t f****** care. I do care but there’s only so much somebody can take".

Another man, who had been travelling on the bus with Messam was arrested on suspicion of murder, but later released without further action.

Messam, of Henry Road, Finsbury Park, also tried to blame a third man for Ms Anderson's death, who was also released without further action.

The Argus: Dane Messam Dane Messam

He was sentenced to a minimum of 23 years in prison after a five-week trial at Guildford Crown Court, where he was found guilty of Ms Anderson's murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Emma Vickers said: “This was a tragic case where a woman lost her life at the hands of a man she loved who abused her trust.

“Even with all the evidence against him, Messam continued to deny having any involvement in Helen’s death causing further pain to those who knew and loved her by putting them through the agony of a trial.

“He has acted entirely in self-interest. After killing Helen, we believe he left her body in Surrey, a place which she had no connection to in the hope that his hideous crime would go undetected long enough for him to escape the country.

“I’m extremely proud of the officers involved for their work in ensuring Messam is now behind bars where he belongs.

"This was a large-scale investigation by Surrey and Sussex Police with assistance from our colleagues in the Metropolitan Police Service to secure evidence from Messam’s house in Finsbury Park.

“Our thoughts remain with Helen’s family who have demonstrated immense bravery throughout the investigation and the subsequent trial, despite having to hear distressing details about their loved one. I hope they take some comfort from today’s outcome.”

Ms Anderson's family described her as a “dear sister and daughter” with a “big heart”.