The first person to face a murder retrial following the discovery of new forensic evidence has been convicted.

Mark Weston, 35, was originally cleared of battering mother-of-two Vikki Thompson near her home in Ascott-under-Wychwood, in 1995.

But after the so-called "double jeopardy" rule was removed in 2005, Weston was found guilty in a second trial at Reading Crown Court.

Vikki, 30, was found bludgeoned near a railway line after her dog returned home alone from a country walk. She died in hospital six days after the savage attack.

Small amounts of Vikki's blood, missed during the initial investigation, were discovered on a pair of Weston's boots when Thames Valley Police reopened the case.

Pete Beirne, a retired detective recruited by police to investigate unsolved crimes, said after the trial: "This is the first time using double jeopardy legislation that new forensic evidence has been used to secure a conviction, so it's very significant."

Detectives believe Weston chased Vikki as she was walking her dog on August 12 1995 because she caught him watching her and masturbating.

Police found a plastic bag near the scene containing two bras stained with semen matching the DNA profile of Weston.

Forensic scientists said it had been deposited within days of the bras being seized on August 14.

This key piece of evidence was not allowed by the judge in the first trial, but it was put before the jury this time.

Weston faced trial at Oxford Crown Court in 1996, but the jury found him not guilty after just 50 minutes of deliberation.

In 2005, on the tenth anniversary of her murder, Thames Valley Police reopened the case and evidence was submitted for further examination. Weston was arrested again at his home in Ascott-under-Wychwood on October 21 last year.