A 29-year-old man is the latest suspect to have been sentenced after being found guilty of the murder of man in Ellesmere Port in 2009.

Manuel Wagner was sentenced today (Wednesday) at Liverpool Crown Court to life in prison with a minimum term of 16 years after being found guilty of the murder of 36-year-old French national Christophe Borgye.

Wagner was previously found not guilty of assisting an offender and preventing a lawful burial but new evidence came to light in 2015 and he was rearrested.

Wagner, a German national, was  charged in connection with the death of flight attendant Christophe Borgye at a house on Hylton Court.

Originally from Ronchin in France Christophe had been reported missing to police by a work colleague in May 2009 but enquiries at the time led officers and his family to believe he had left the country. 

Wirral Globe:

Christophe Borgye

Four years later in May 2013 officers made the shocking discovery after Sebastian Bendou, who has since been sentenced for his part in the death, contacted the force and confessed to Christophe′s murder.

He was taken to the property by police and he then showed them where the body was concealed.

A search of the property led to the discovery of a concrete structure in the outbuilding.

A low brick wall had been built inside the structure to conceal the body with three separate layers of concrete placed over the body to bury it.

In 2014 Sebastian Bendou, now 39, was jailed for a minimum of 14 years after being found guilty of murdering his former housemate.

Christophe’s other housemate Dominik Kocher, now aged 38, was also found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 23 years in 2014.

DS Steve Currie said: “This was a complicated case from the very beginning and devastating for the family who for so long were unaware Christophe had been brutally murdered by people thought to be his friends.

“Today, Christophe‘s family will finally see all those responsible for his murder being punished for their part in this shocking crime.

“I hope today’s conviction encourages those with information about old or new cases to come forward.

"While they cannot bring Christophe back, his family now have complete justice and the final jigsaw piece in this shocking crime is finally in place, thanks to new information being given to police.

“I want to thank all the detectives involved in this unique investigation, residents, and all witnesses who supported us in bringing this brutal murder to a successful conclusion.

"I would also like to thank the Crown Prosecution Service and the lead and junior counsel who worked with us over the last four years. We cannot succeed without your support, thank you.”