A British tourist who murdered a Thai sex worker then stuffed her naked body in a suitcase was today jailed for eight years.

Shane Kenneth Looker, 52, picked up dancer Laxami Manochat, 31, on the second night of his holiday in Bangkok, Thailand, before she was found dead a few days later on November 9, 2014.

Shocked cops started the murder investigation when Laxami's body was recovered from a suitcase dumped in a river 95 miles away in Kanchanaburi province. Her black stilettos, black dress and a pink thong were also in the luggage. She is believed to have been strangled before she died.

Looker fled to Malaysia then Spain - sparking a near decade-long legal battle to extradite him to face justice, that went to the European Court of Human Rights sitting in Strasbourg.

Looker was finally walked back in handcuffs through the country’s Suvarnabhumi Airport in July last year. He was sentenced today May 31 at the court in the same city where Laxami was found dead.

Looker pleaded guilty to murder and was jailed for eight years. He was ordered to pay Laxami’s mother - who attended the sentencing - 10.5 million Baht (245,000 GBP) and her daughter two million Baht (46,300 GBP).

The judge spent 20 minutes reading evidence in the case, which Looker attended by video conference from the Kanchanaburi prison, where he is being held.

They said: ‘Several witnesses saw the perpetrator with the victim. In addition, the DNA test results from the fingernails of the deceased also found that the suspect’s skin was stuck in her nails.

‘The suspect confessed that he was the one who killed the decease and took her body in a large red suitcase and threw it in the Mae Klong River.’

The judge said the 16-year sentence was halved because of Looker’s guilty plea.

Looker was seen on the video link bowing his head. He then thanked the judge for showing mercy.

The judge added: ‘The amount of compensation must be repaid to the family with five per cent interest per year until it is completed.’

Officers who checked CCTV footage from the Hot Lips bar in the notorious Nana Plaza saw the well-built Brit leaving with Laxami, whose nickname was 'Pook'.

Cops began searching for Looker but he allegedly later fled across the country's southern border with Malaysia before returning to his home in Ibiza, where he is said to have owned a hotel.

Spanish police arrested Looker, from Stoke, in June 2017 and he was remanded in custody amid legal struggles to have him sent to Thailand where prosecutors had built a case against him. The Spanish High Court ruled in July 2017 that he should be extradited but Looker's legal team lodged a series of appeals in 2018 and 2019.

The European Court of Human Rights sitting in Strasbourg ruled on May 25, 2021, that Looker should be extradited from Spain to face justice in Thailand. They cited extensive case files submitted by the Royal Thai Police in Bangkok which allegedly proved that Looker was the man who had murdered the Thai woman.

However, the extradition was only agreed on the basis that Thai authorities would not use the death penalty.

Ruling on the case, top EU judges also slammed allegedly deliberate attempts by Looker's legal team to delay the case through a series of appeals.

Following almost a decade of appeals and legal cases to have Looker extradited, Thai police finally arrested him and walked with him in handcuffs after landing at the Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) on July 9, 2021.

Police chief Major General Suwat Chaengyodsuk said Looker had confessed following interrogations by officers.

The policeman said: ‘The culprit committed the murder and then escaped the country. It was important for the integrity of the legal process that he was tracked down and arrested to face the accusations.

’The case has taken nearly 10 years but the suspect has now been convicted. It is a warning to anybody that commits a crime in the Kingdom of Thailand that they will be pursued.

'There can now be some peace for the family of the deceased.'