A 66-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering Shani Warren and dumping her body in a lake.

Donald Robertson, formerly of Slough, was found guilty by a unanimous jury of the murder and indecent assault of Shani Warren, aged 26, in April 1987.

Robertson was also found guilty of the rape, kidnapping and false imprisonment of a 16-year-old girl in Slough in June 1981. The girl cannot be named for legal reasons.

Following seven hours and 18 minutes of deliberations, the jury returned unanimous verdicts on all five charges.

Robertson, who is currently in prison for another offence and refused to attend the trial, will be sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Thursday.

During the trial, which started on April 29, the court heard how Ms Warren, who was from Stoke Poges and worked in Maidenhead, went missing on April 17, 1987.

On April 19, Ms Warren’s lifeless body was found by a dog walker floating on the surface of Taplow Lake – resulting in Ms Warren becoming known as ‘The Lady in the Lake’.

The court heard how Ms Warren’s hands were tied and her mouth gagged when her body was found.

An inquest at the time ruled that Ms Warren had committed suicide, but advancements in forensic analysis since then meant that when the Thames Valley Police Cold Case team revisited the crime in 2019, they discovered Robertson’s DNA on the mouth gag.

Adjourning the hearing at Reading Crown Court today, Mr Justice Wall stated that he wanted to give Robertson the opportunity to attend his sentencing later this week.

He said: “I would like there to be an opportunity for the defendant to be told of the result and I know he has shown no desire to be here, but I intend to give him a chance to either attend in person or view proceedings from where he is at the moment.”

Donald Robertson will be sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Thursday.