Suzanne Pilley murder trial: Killer keeps secret of lover’s grave

However, their hope is that one day they will be able to lay her to rest.

Only Gilroy will be able to ease their suffering, but he gave no hint he would break a two-year silence as he was led to the cells at the High Court in Edinburgh.

He remained sitting bolt upright in the dock when the jury announced its majority guilty verdict on charges of murdering Ms Pilley and taking her body to its secret grave, believed to be somewhere in Argyll. He briefly closed his eyes but said nothing.

Gilroy had protested his innocence since the day Ms Pilley disappeared, but when police found make-up on the back of his hands two days later, on 6 May, 2010, hiding recent injuries, it was the turning point in the entire investigation. From that moment on, he was a key suspect and the net slowly closed.

His wife, Andrea, dropped her head as the word “guilty” was spoken by the jury’s spokesperson. In a statement later, she insisted he was innocent.

Gilroy nodded in her direction and mouthed something as he was taken away to begin a life sentence, but she declined to comment to the media on leaving the court.

• Suzanne ‘seemed happy’ the day she vanished

In contrast, the Pilley family faced the cameras as a statement was read on their behalf.

“This day has been a long time coming but finally Suzanne has received the justice she deserved,” it said.

“As a family, we continue to struggle to come to terms with losing her. We have lost our daughter, but her memory lives on in everyone who knew her. Suzanne was a devoted daughter, a supportive friend and an exemplary colleague at work.

“She was a proud Scot who led a full and active life, and enjoyed the great outdoors, always walking, cycling and keeping fit. We have been met with nothing but kindness from her many friends during this great time of sorrow.

“We would like to express our gratitude to every police officer involved in the investigation and to [prosecutor] Alex Prentice and his team for their efforts in bringing this case to a conclusion.

“Although the trial has ended, our ordeal goes on, and we hope that one day we can lay our daughter to rest.”

Gilroy will return to court next month to receive the mandatory life sentence, and to be told by the judge the minimum period he must serve before becoming eligible for parole.

His family issued a statement, saying: “We are devastated about the verdict. The family has always believed in David’s innocence and continue to do so.”

However, there was less support from his former colleagues at Infrastructure Managers Limited (IML), of Thistle Street, Edinburgh, where he and Ms Pilley met and where he killed her, by unknown means.

• Gilroy’s string of pleading voicemails stopped when Suzanne went missing

Simon Peck, manager of IML, where Ms Pilley’s tank of tropical fish has been given a home in the reception area, said: “Suzanne was a much-loved friend and colleague. To have her snatched from her friends and her family in such a callous and cold-blooded way is something we’re all still dealing with. The revulsion felt towards David Gilroy cannot be expressed. To think that he went about his business in the days after he murdered Suzanne, pretending that nothing was amiss, is truly chilling. I can only hope this verdict gives some small degree of comfort to Suzanne’s parents and her many friends. But until David Gilroy reveals where Suzanne’s body lies, her family and friends will never be able to fully come to terms with her loss.”