The judge recommended Arshad serve 24 years, and Khan seven

Muhammed Arshad, 37, of Crumpsall, in Manchester, was convicted by a jury on Friday of murdering 56-year-old Zainab Begum in Accrington, Lancashire.

His brother, Mohamed Khan, 38, was found guilty of helping dispose of the body and jailed for seven years.

Mrs Begum's body has still not been found, but Arshad's handprint was found in blood at her home.

The judge at Preston Crown Court recommended Arshad serve 24 years in prison.

Mrs Begum, of Burnley Road, Accrington, disappeared on 13 January, and the brothers were arrested within weeks.

Mrs Begum had six children

Earlier the court had heard Mrs Begum took her youngest daughter to school and was never seen again.

The body had been stored behind the bar in the Accrington restaurant, but what happened after that remains a mystery.

Lancashire Police appealed to Arshad to help them find the body now he has been convicted.

Detective Ch Insp Steve Brunskill, of Lancashire Police, said: "This was a very unusual case, not least because of the nature of the killing, but also because of the absence of a body.

"Now that Arshad has been convicted, I hope he can find it in himself to tell us the truth, and help us recover Zainab's body. Without his help, we may never find her."

A statement from Mrs Begum's six daughters said their mother "was taken away in the most brutal and untimely manner imaginable."

"She was our mother, father, life and whole world, she will live on inside us forever," they said.

"The verdicts mean that, having been denied the basic right to a funeral and burial, Zainab Begum has received some justice and we, her family, can take solace from that and perhaps, begin the process of rebuilding our lives."