Lawyer guilty for murder of heiress after 36 years

A former Riviera lawyer was convicted yesterday of killing a glamorous casino heiress 36 years ago, after a legal battle that has gripped France.

Maurice Agnelet, 76, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in his third trial for the killing of his then mistress, Agnes Le Roux. She disappeared in October 1977, aged 29. Her body was never found.

Agnelet showed no emotion as the verdict was read in the Rennes court.

Agnelet was initially acquitted but convicted on appeal in 2007 to serve 20 years - a verdict that was later overturned by the European Court of Human Rights.

His retrial has seen a number of shocking new revelations, including testimony from Agnelet's own son who said he believes his father committed the crime.

Guillaume Agnelet, 45, told the court on Monday that his mother had confided to him that his father had killed Le Roux in her sleep during a camping trip in Italy and then dumped the body by the side of the road.

He said his father had also confessed in the 1980s to knowing the location of the corpse. Italian police launched their own probe after the claim.