A couple have been convicted of murdering a homeless woman who they drowned in their bath, before claiming her benefits.

Kevin Flanagan was charged with the killing, alongside his girlfriend Kathleen Salmond, after his own brother told police that Flanagan had confessed the couple had killed 39-year-old Lisa Bennett.

Salmond, who appeared at trial via video link from a bed, was also unanimously found guilty of benefit fraud between May 8 and 31 2013, and preventing 39-year-old Bennett’s burial – charges Flanagan previously admitted.

Salmond, of Farnhurst Road, Hodge Hill, Birmingham, and Flanagan, of Redbrook Covert, Kings Norton, Birmingham, were convicted after a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

They will be sentenced on Friday. 

Speaking after the verdicts, David Parsons, a regional senior prosecutor with the CPS, said: “The callousness and cruelty of their actions was breathtaking.

“They purported to be Lisa’s friends, but killed her and left her in a wheelie bin.

“Lisa’s body has never been recovered.

“For more than six years her parents have suffered the appalling grief of not knowing what happened to their daughter.

“Janet Bennett (Bennett’s mother) has been steadfast in her quest for the truth.

“I know there can be no replacing the loss, but I hope that these convictions can, at least, bring some small comfort.”