Heartless: Zoe Warren, who had been Mr Shaw's girlfriend for 'just a few days', confessed to her part in the killing to a new man

A girlfriend has been sentenced to life in prison after she and a male friend tied and brutally tortured her new boyfriend then viciously stabbed him to death leaving him looking 'like the elephant man'.

Mark Shaw was tied up, beaten, bitten, gagged, attacked with weapons and stabbed to death in Grange Villa, County Durham, in December last year.

The 29-year-old suffered more than 80 injuries across his body in the shocking attack at the hands of his girlfriend Zoe Warren, 20, and neighbour Keiran Adey, 19.

His body was found, still bound at the ankles, in a bedroom at his home.

Warren of Chipchase, Washington, Wearside, and Adey, of Queen Street, Grange Villa, both denied murder and have been tried by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court.

Jurors found Warren guilty of murder and a charge of intimidation in relation to an angry letter she sent to a new boyfriend after he told police she had confessed to him about the killing.

Adey was found guilty of murder. They have both been sentenced to life behind bars with minimum tariffs of 17 years.

Zoe Warren, 20, had been Mark Shaw's girlfriend for a couple of days when she and his teenage neighbour tied him up and beat him to death, a court heard.

Mr Shaw, whose family described him as a 'peacemaker', was bound, beaten,bitten, gagged, attacked with weapons and stabbed to death in a vicious attack in Grange Villa, County Durham, in December last year.

The 29-year-old father, who died without knowing he was to become a father for the second time, suffered more than 80 separate injuries across his body in the shocking violence.

Devastated: The family of murder victim Mark Shaw, 29, whose body was discovered in Grange Villa, County Durham last December, leading police to launch a murder investigation

Warren,of Chipchase, Washington, Wearside, and Mr Shaw's neighbour Keiran Adey, 19, of Queen Street, Grange Villa, both denied murder during a trial but were found guilty by a jury.

Warren had admitted being at the scene when Mr Shaw, who she described as her 'best friend', was murdered by Adey but claimed she played no part in the violence.

Adey told jurors he had beaten Mr Shaw but claimed it was Warren who 'lost it' and murdered her new man.

Jurors found them both guilty of murder.

Pictured: Mark Shaw, above, who was found dead by Durham police

Warren was also convicted of intimidation over a threatening letter she sent to her next boyfriend after he became a prosecution witness.

Both will receive a life sentence later today.

Prosecutor Nick Dry told the court Mr Shaw had been subjected to unimaginable violence in the attack and added: 'There was evidence that he had been gripped by the jaw and a ligature applied to his neck in a manner that was life threatening.

'He had been punched and or kicked multiple times, bitten three times and struck with a rod shaped weapon up to six times.

'The evidence showed he had been forcibly restrained and possibly injected intravenously against his will.

'In addition, he had been stabbed twice in the back, one of those wounds being deeply penetrating and bringing about death as a result of blood loss.'

Mr Dry told the court Warren had been living at Mr Shaw's house at the time of his death and had previously known him through a common association with the Washington area.

Adey was a neighbour, with whom there had been some previous trouble.

The court heard items used during the course of the killing, including a knife were taken to a wooded area near Mr Shaw's home and buried or burned.

Mr Dry said the killers carried out an initial attack on Mr Shaw before leaving the house and returning to inflict 'further, more serious violence' in the early hours of December 17.

Mr Dry said during one conversation after the killing, Adey told an acquaintance he and Warren had inflicted violence and added: 'We've done what we've done and left him looking like the elephant man'.

Pictured: Warren,of Chipchase, Washington, Wearside, and Mr Shaw's neighbour Keiran Adey (pictured), 19, of Queen Street, Grange Villa, both denied murder during a trial but were found guilty by a jury

It is claimed Warren told another woman the violence flared because Mark had 'spent her last ten pounds on heroin' and he had 'grassed' on Keiran about a broken window.

Grieving members of Mr Shaw's family, including his mum, dad and sisters, packed the public gallery when jurors delivered the guilty verdicts.

His mother Valerie Watson fought back tears as she spoke about her much lovedboy, who she described as 'funny, so kind, generous and loyal.'

She added: 'He had never had a fight in his life, he was a peacemaker.

'He would always make people laugh, especially the kids in the family, they called him a clown and he called himself Merlin Mark because he did magic tricks.

She said: 'He would make friends laugh, make the kids laugh. He was invited to all the parties, he was the life and soul of the parties.

'All his life, I can honestly say, I have never heard him say a bad word about anyone.

'He took the blame so many times in his life for what other people did. That was just him.

'If he had lived he would have forgiven them and would have made sure there was nothing done to them. That was Mark. He didn't want to see anyone hurt.'

Mark's sister Haley Richardson, 35, added: 'There was about 600 people at his funeral.

All his life, I can honestly say, I have never heard him say a bad word about anyone

'The police told use they had spoken to about 250 people after Mark was killed and not one person had a bad word to say about him.

'He has two children but he did not know about the second one. He has got a baby girl he will never know.

'Her mother was only a few weeks pregnant when Mark died and she didn't know herself that she was expecting.'

Mark's other sister Micheala, 39, branded her brother's killers 'evil' and the family, who are from Great Lumley, questioned whether Warren was ever actually Mark's girlfriend at all, saying he would have helped anyone and have them stay at his home for nothing if they needed.

Father Stephen Shaw, 54, who lives in Sunderland, said: 'The only thing keeping me going is hatred.

'When an animal is like that it gets put down. I can't even call them animals because an animal kills to survive, to protect it's young, not like this.'

The family said they have been overwhelmed by the support and tributes received after Mark's death and said it gave them comfort to know he was loved and will be missed by so many.

Micheala added: 'Mark was loved and respected by all who knew him, which was so many.

'The proof being hundreds at his funeral and the support we have had.

'Mark was nothing like the person he has been portrayed to be in court.

'Mark was funny, kind and loved by his family. He was harmless, never violent, did not see bad in anyone.

'Mark was adored and always will be. We will never be able to fill the emptiness in our hearts. This is the cruellest, most tragic, beyond words thing that could have happened.

'We will never understand why.'