A KILLER dad who murdered his 17-year-old daughter after she accused him of sexual abuse has today been caged for life.

Bernadette Walker was last seen alive on July 18 last year when Scott Walker picked her up from her grandparents' home.

Tragically the teenager's body has never been found after Walker spun a web of lies to dupe police.

The 51-year-old formed an "unholy alliance" with Bernadette's mum Sarah Walker to make it look like she was still alive and had run away.

The couple sent messages from her phone and social media accounts after reporting her missing to "lay a false trail".

Walker, who was not Bernadette's biological dad, cooked up the "devious, wicked" plot after Bernadette told her mum he had been sexually abusing her "over a number of years" in a murderous bid to silencer her.

He was today caged for life with a minimum of 32 years after being found guilty of murder and two counts of perverting the course of justice.

Bernadette's mum Sarah Walker was jailed for six years after she was previously convicted of two counts of perverting the course of justice.

The pair remained silent as they were led to the cells today.

Sentencing Walker, Mrs Justice McGowan said his refusal to tell police where Bernadette's body is "means she can't be shown the respect she deserves".

She said: "Cruellest of all, it's likely to mean some members of her family and friends will go on hoping she might be alive and might some day come back into their lives."

The judge said she was "sure Sarah Walker was the guiding mind behind the detail of (the) plan" to cover up Bernadette's death".

The court was told heard how Bernadette, who called Walker 'Dad', told her mum he had been "sexually abusing her over a number of years".

She also said he spied on her undressing using cameras hidden in the bathroom and touched her inappropriately in a games room.

The teen was sent to her grandparents' home in Peterborough after the sickening allegations were made and was said to be "very upset".

Bernadette kept sobbing and saying she wanted her mum to believe her as she kept repeating: "I'm not lying".

But she soon turned "quiet" when Walker arrived the next morning to pick her up.

WEB OF LIES

The depraved dad told the court how he was driving Bernadette home that day when she ran off while he rolled a cigarette.

The fiend's phone was switched off on the day she vanished between 11.23am until 12.54pm – with prosecutors saying he killed her in that period.

His first call after switching his phone back on was a nine minute call to Sarah Walker.

It is then they concocted a grim plan to throw investigators off the scent and make them believe Bernadette was still alive.

The pair kept hold of Bernadette's phone and continued to send messages to her friends so it looked like she was still alive.

They then lied to police to give them "no hope of finding" Bernadette.

The teen was finally reported missing after three days and a huge search was mounted.

When asked why they waited so long to report her missing, Walker gave a string of excuses – including him never believing she wasn't safe.

He even posted desperate appeals for information on social media and begged Bernadette to let him know she was OK.

The parents were eventually arrested about a month and a half later when police launched a "no body" murder probe.

A harrowing diary entry written by Bernadatte was released by police after Walker's conviction.

It read: "Told my mum about my dad and the abuse. She called me a liar and threatened to kill me if I told the police.

"She said that the other kids matter more. I love feeling unwanted. I feel nothing right now cause I always thought mum would deal with [sic] and it would all go away.

"But no, he's still here telling me I made it up.

"What kind of parent wouldn't believe their daughter?

"But it's fine, I'm going to pretend it's okay till I leave home then I will block them out of my life.

"I'd rather say I'm an orphan than say I have abusive parents who couldn't give a sh*t about me or what happens to me.

"If I was brave enough I probably would have already left, or just killed myself."

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