KILLER Geoffrey Porter has been jailed for life for the murder of teenage vice girl Carly Bateman.

Porter, aged 40, of Columbia Road, Bolton, strangled the 17-year-old to death before hiding her body beneath undergrowth in a back alleyway on the outskirts of Bolton's red light area. The father of two had denied killing the teenager.

Carly's naked body was discovered in an alleyway off Crawford Avenue, The Haulgh, on November 11 last year at about 3.30am.

Manchester Crown Court was told the teenager had been working as a prostitute in Bolton to fund her drug habit.

The prosecution claimed that DNA evidence, tyre marks and fibres found in Porter's car all pointed to him.

The defence told the jury that Porter could not remember having sex with the prostitute that night.

The jury at Manchester Crown Court was told that Carly, who had left home at the age of 14, was killed after getting into a car to sell her body for sex.

Porter then dragged her body out of the car and into the alleyway.

Carly is believed to have put up a fight as Porter strangled her to death with a ligature. Forensic experts told the court that marks found on her neck could have been made by her own fingernails as she frantically tried to remove a ligature, or an arm, from around her.

The jury found Porter guilty after seven hours of deliberation following a two-week long hearing.