JUDGE John Griffith Williams has imposed a minimum 35-year tariff on Newport murderer Carl Whant.

Whant was given a mandatory life sentence at Newport Crown Court after being found guilty of rape, murder, arson and child destruction over the killing of Nikitta Grender, 19.

Judge John Griffith Williams told Whant: "You set fire to her body and deprived her family and Ryan the chance to see her face one last time. You fancied Nikitta and went to her flat armed with a knife. You overpowered her."

He added:"You are a calculated individual. You have shown no remorse and even took flowers to the Grender household. Their grief is all the more deep because you tried to say you had consensual sex with her."

Nikitta Grender's uncle, Michael Brunnock, read a statement outside Newport Crown Court, saying: "The last 12 months have been harder for us than you could ever imagine.

"Nikitta was so young and beautiful and together with Ryan, they were to become a very proud set of parents to Kelsey-May.

"This has been ripped from them by Carl Whant, who has never had the decency to tell us the truth.

"For us to see our grandchild for the first time in a mortuary was the most heartbreaking thing we have ever had to do.

"Nikitta was so special and will remain in our hearts until we die. We will never deal with the tragic events that have stolen our family from us but hope we can at least start to understand what has happened."

Hear the full statement: