It was a crime which shocked the quiet rural village of Weybread to its core.

And now, after Ali Qazimaj was found guilty of the brutal double murders of Peter and Sylvia Stuart, in June last year, people living in the Suffolk village give their reaction.

Graham Gibbs, chairman of Weybread Parish Council, said there was 'relief' that the case had finally been resolved, but an overriding sense of sympathy for the family of Mr and Mrs Stewart - particularly given that Sylvia's body has never been found.

He said: 'I've spoken to a few people and we feel great sympathy for the family for whom the effects will be life long.' Mr Gibbs did not hold out much hope that Qazimaj, who continues to dispute his identity, will ever reveal where Mrs Stuart is.

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He said: 'I don't think he will ever admit it.

'It would be nice to be proved wrong.

'The family won't have closure while Sylvia's body is missing.'

But Mr Gibbs added we was pleased the man responsible for the killings had been caught and convicted.

He said: 'It's good to know the culprit has been caught and that the rest of Weybread are not in danger.'

Steve Pickess, 69, who lives close to where the Stuarts' lived, said he was 'not surprised' Qazimaj had been convicted, but like so many others, was thinking of the family at this time.

He said: 'The first thing you think is where is the wife so its not a total closure.

'I can't go past the cottage without wondering what happened to his wife.

'I've actually stopped walking that way. I just feel its quite sad.'

The Rev Susan Ann Loxton, vicar at St Andrew Church in Weybread, said she was 'pleased' for the family that there has been a sense of closure following the conviction, even though it cannot be total closure because Mrs Stuart's body has not been found.

She said: 'We will hold them in our prayers.'

Mr and Mrs Stuart had lived in Brick Kiln Cottage for at least 10 years.

They went linedancing every week at Withersdale Village Hall.

They are thought to have come from Essex and were both retired.

They have a daughter, Christy, and a granddaughter who is thought to have gone to Fressingfield Primary School.