Bernadette Walker verdict: "We have been able to get justice for Bea"

It is still not known how Bernadette Walker died or where her body is, but the man she used to call Dad has been found guilty of her murder.

The police who investigated the case say today's guilty verdict is justice for the 17 year old.

Bernadette was last seen on July 18 last year, with Scott Walker, her step-father and man she had accused of sexually abusing her.

Prosecutors said that Walker killed the teenager to stop her telling anyone else about the allegations.

For seven weeks after the teenager went missing, Scott Walker and his former partner, Bernadette’s mother Sarah Walker, deceived friends, family and police by laying a false trail to suggest she was still alive and had run away from home.

“We may never know the truth about what Scott did and why, but we do know Bea had made allegations of abuse against him," Justine Jenkins said.

“My plea to anyone who may have been subjected to abuse is to speak to us. Bea thought she could confide in her own mother, who should have been able to protect her, but instead she met a tragic end.”

During the six-week trial at Cambridge Crown Court, the jury heard how Bernadette's mother, Sarah Walker had not reported her missing to police until 21 July.

Scott Walker had claimed he had stopped the car during their journey on July 18 2020 to talk about the allegations Bernadette had made, but she had got out and ran off in Skaters Way, leaving her rucksack behind.

However, police discovered that instead of going straight to collect her that morning, Scott had gone to a lock-up garage owned by his parents in Walton.

It was not the only time he visited this location in the days after Bernadette's disappearance.

In the following 48 hours, both Scott Walker and Sarah Walker made multiple trips to the lock-up as well as to a rural area of Lincolnshire in the dead of night.

Passwords on Bernadette's social media accounts were changed and messages sent to friends and family to make it look as though she had simply run away from home.

Bernadette's rucksack was found in the lock-up together with her diary.

The police have not lost hope of finding Bernadette and are still appealing to the public for any information that could help in the search for her body.

Scott Walker and Sarah Walker will be sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on 10 September.