A killer taxi driver who murdered two young women has been sentenced to a whole life order.

Christopher Halliwell, 52, is already serving a life sentence for the murder of Sian O'Callaghan, 22, who he abducted in his taxi as she made her way home from a night out in Swindon in March 2011.

He confessed to killing Miss O'Callaghan and took police to her body before offering "another one" and leading them to where he had buried missing prostitute Becky Godden in January 2003.

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Halliwell later denied murdering Miss Godden but was convicted following a two-week trial at Bristol Crown Court, at which he represented himself.

He smirked at Miss Godden's family as the jury of six men and six women returned their verdict on Monday following less than three hours of deliberations.

Retired High Court judge Sir John Griffith Williams sentenced Halliwell to a whole life order on Friday.

Passing sentence, the judge described Halliwell's account of Miss Godden being buried in the field by two drug dealers as a "cock and bull story".

He added: "Your account of the circumstances in which she met her death bears all the hallmarks of a contrived explanation designed to avoid conviction in the hope that the minimum term you are presently serving will not be increased.

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"But the account in which you advanced so glibly with little or no regard to the truth made no sense at all.

"I have had the opportunity of observing you throughout the trial and listening to your evidence. I have no doubt that you are a self-centred and domineering individual who wants his own way. You are both calculating and devious."

The judge told Halliwell he would die in prison and as he was led away, he said: "Thank you."

The judge said Halliwell had robbed Miss Godden of a "potentially fulfilling life".

"I am satisfied your conduct amounted to abduction.

"Rebecca Godden did not want to go with you and would certainly not have gone with you had she known you were prepared to rape her and to use violence if she did not do as you told her," he said.

"There was clearly sexual conduct and your offending was aggravated by your concealment of the body.

"I observe that you lied to the jury about the circumstances of the murder of Sian O'Callaghan, just as you lied to the jury about the circumstances of the murder of Rebecca Godden.

"A feature of your evidence which I would not have been alone in considering greatly unfeeling was the contradiction in your claims that you wanted to spare the family of Sian O'Callaghan further grief and yet you did not take the police straight to her body, and despite your confessions to Superintendent Fulcher, you made 'no comment' answers when you were interviewed about her murder.

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"You then pleaded not guilty and so compounded and added to the grief of her family.

"You have put the family of Rebecca Godden through similar anguish, first confessing to her murder and then answering no comment to all questions in interview.

"After what must have been hours of trawling through the prosecution papers, you devised a cock and bull story about two drug dealers.

"I cannot add to your sentence for such cynical indifference to the concerns of the families but it is clear to me that there is nothing which can mitigate your sentence.

"I am satisfied that there are real similarities between the two murders. The fact that some nine years elapsed between them probably reflects the absence of opportunities.

"I have concluded both murders involved the abduction of the victim and sexual conduct and both were aggravated by the concealment of the bodies.

"I am satisfied your offending is exceptionally high and satisfies the criteria for a whole life term. Were I to impose a minimum term it would be of such length that you would in all probability never be released.

"I sentence you to life imprisonment and direct there will be a whole life order."