THE Reading killer who murdered his pregnant former girlfriend and buried her in his uncle's grave has been jailed for life today.

Ben Blakeley, 22, of Christchurch Road, admitted manslaughter but denied murdering Jayden on December 3.

He was found guilty by a majority verdict of 11-1 yesterday.

Jailing him, Judge Patrick Eccles said he must serve a minimum period of 20 years before he is eligible for release.

Blakeley was also sentenced to eight years for perverting the course of justice, a charge he admitted, which will run concurrently.

A statement released by Jayden's family today reads: “Finally justice has been done for our Jayden.

“First, we would like to record our enormous gratitude to the officers of Thames Valley Police, in particular members of the Major Crime Unit, whose professionalism and perseverance secured Ben Blakeley’s conviction.

"We would also like to thank all of the prosecution’s witnesses who gave evidence, in particular three of Ben Blakeley’s former girlfriends, who showed immense courage in attending court to speak of his sick and twisted mind.

“From the day that Jayden’s life was so cruelly taken, the kindness shown to us by the people of Didcot has been immeasurable. For this, we will always be thankful from the bottom of our hearts.

“Over the months we have also found strength in the messages of support from strangers around the country and indeed worldwide.

“We will never be able to find an ounce of forgiveness for the evil that murdered Jayden and then concealed her body in such a cold, calculated and callous manner.

“For us as a family, today is not the final chapter in this tragedy. But now we can at least begin the challenge of coming to terms with the heartbreak which we all feel, and the rebuilding of our lives.

“Despite today’s sentencing of Ben Blakeley, our nightmare will never end. We can never erase from our minds the pain that was inflicted on Jayden, nor can we erase the image of Jayden’s battered and bruised body. We will never be able to celebrate birthdays, Easter or Christmas with Jayden, and we will never get to see Jayden grow up, get married and have children - this is our life sentence, it’s now time for Ben Blakeley to start his.”

His brother, 17-year-old Jake Blakeley, was accused of preventing the lawful burial of Jayden, but the jury was discharged today after failing to reach a verdict.

The 17-year-old, of Didcot, admitted perverting the course of justice, and he will be sentenced on August 22.

Jayden's body was found two weeks after she went missing following a massive police search.

The jury at Oxford Crown Court was told Blakeley strangled Jayden in woodland the day after she told him she was expecting his child and hid her body.