The detective who was suspended over his snap decision to take killer Christopher Halliwell to the shallow grave of Becky Godden today fiercely defended his actions as he insisted: “I caught a serial killer”.

Relatives of Miss Godden, who disappeared in Swindon in 2003, thanked Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher for "bringing their little girl home" following a five-year wait for justice as he faced gross misconduct action.

The prosecution against Halliwell was originally dropped after it emerged Mr Fulcher failed to caution him and questioned the taxi driver on a remote hilltop without a lawyer as he showed police where Miss Godden, 20, was buried in 2011.