A man murdered his partner on the double-decker bus they lived on before dumping her body, which he had doused in acid, in bushes by the side of a dual carriageway, a jury ruled today.
Helen Anderson's body was found soaked in acid drain cleaner and wrapped in sheets after it had been dumped in bushes by the side of the A3 in Surrey during the early hours of the morning.
A jury today ruled that Dane Messam, her partner, had killed the 41-year-old mum-of-four before driving the double-decker bus they had lived on across the southeast of England to find a suitable spot to dump her body in Surrey.
The 52-year-old did not flinch as the foreman of the jury announced that they had reached a unanimous verdict, in just under four hours of deliberating.
Earlier, prosecutor Jeremy Benson QC told the jury at Guildford Crown Court: "On Monday, August 23, 2021, at around 3pm the body of Helen Anderson was found in some woods by the A3, Stoke Road interchange slip road, Guildford, Surrey.
"The body was wrapped tightly in a purple duvet cover and sheets and was in a state of decomposition. Helen Anderson was the partner of this defendant, Dane Messam and she was last been seen alive on CCTV on August 20, three days before her body was found.
"She was in the company of this defendant. She was seen to withdraw some cash from an ATM outside the Wood Green Branch in North London. In the early hours of the morning of August 23, Messam transported her body in his vehicle, a decommissioned double-decker bus, from London to Guilford.
"At around 3.40am he dumped her body where it was found about 12 hours later. The prosecution case is that between these two times, this defendant murdered her.
"The defendant owned and drove a white and reddy-orange decommissioned double-decker bus. He is the only person insured to drive it. He was converting it into some form of motorised caravan. He regularly drove the bus around London and beyond."
Later in the trial, Messam admitted he had dumped Ms Anderson's body, although he claimed that he had only discovered her body in the bus after he braked suddenly and heard a thud in the rear of the vehicle.
Messam also claimed he had not disclosed the discovery of his partner's body because he wanted to fly to Jamaica for his mother's funeral, which was due to be held only days after Ms Anderson's death.
Ms Anderson had been due to accompany Messam, however he cancelled her ticket only hours after he had dumped his partner's body.
Mr Benson added: "On August 23, between 2am and 5am, the defendant drove his bus from Finsbury Park to Guildford and deposited her body in a small, wooded area by a junction of the A3.
"About an hour before the event, the defendant purchased bleach - Harpic - a wooden stiff scrubbing brush, a bottle of Mr Muscle bathroom cleaner and some sports socks at a DIY shop a 10-minute walk from his address. Those items were for him to clean the bus."
However, the jury of three women and eight men heard that police found splatters of blood across the bus.
Judge Jonathan Black was told that the couple had a historically abusive relationship, including an incident in a nightclub that was making its way through the court system at the time of Ms Anderson's death.
Mr Benson told the jury: "A post mortem examination was carried out by a forensic pathologist, on August 24. His findings were that it was possible that sulphuric acid had been applied to the body after death."
The court heard how there were traces of sulphuric acid found on a pair of trainers at Messam's London property, on the ligature found around Ms Anderson's neck, soil from under where the body was found and on the sheets she was wrapped in.
Traces of the acid were also found on a white bottle cap found underneath the body. The prosecutor said that this cap was identical to the cap found on a bottle of drain cleaner found on the bus. Drain cleaner of this type contained a high percentage of concentrated sulphuric acid, the jury was told.
Mr Benson told the jury: "While police were keeping him (Messam) under observation in the cells, the defendant asked an officer about the person who had been arrested.
"I have loads of witnesses on my phone. Yes, I'm going to prison for this and I don't f***ing care. I do care but there's only so much someone can take and the mental stress and my mum dying."
Messam, of no fixed abode, is due to be sentenced on April 22.
In a previous tribute, Ms Anderson's family said: "Our dear sister and daughter has gone. We loved you. In this life, you faced many challenges and still, you had a big heart.
"Goodbye dear Helen."