On day three of a murder trial at Preston Crown Court, Andrew Burfield, who had previously denied killing his ex-girlfriend and mum-of-two Katie Kenyon, changed his plea to guilty.

Having confessed to murdering the 33-year-old from Padiham on April 22, before burying her body in Gisburn Forest, Burfield, 51, will be sentenced tomorrow.

He will receive life in prison, with the minimum term to be decided by judge Mr Justice Goose.

Following Burfield's guilty plea, Detective Chief Insp Al Davies, of the Force Major Investigation Team, spoke outside the court about the conviction.

READ MORE: Andrew Burfield pleads guilty to Katie Kenyon murder

He said: "I will open first and foremost by saying on behalf of myself and the family we very much welcome today’s guilty plea from Andrew Burfield.

"Andrew Burfield is a man who has elected to run a trial despite the overwhelming evidence in this case, not only the fact that Andrew Burfield has barbarically and violently killed Katie in this instance he has also pre-planned what he was going to do to an extent that I have never seen in my entire police service.

"Through investigation we were able to establish that Mr Burfield had travelled over to Bolton-by-Bowland the day prior to Katie’s murder. He did that for the purpose of digging a shallow grave for which he would subsequently place Katie within.

"The extent of his planning went far beyond the night before, what he’d actually done was three weeks previous to her murder he had written messages that he would go on to send to her family, and to her children, knowing that his intention was to kill her.

"What I would like to point out and I don’t want to forget, is that Katie was a happy, loving mum of two children. She had her whole life ahead of her.

"Andrew Burfield is a cruel, vindictive man who has taken her life away from her and taken her life away from her children.

"I just hope that today’s guilty plea gives the opportunity for the family now to understand they have got justice and to bring closure in this instance."

DCI Davies went on to add: "My thoughts first and foremost today are with Katie’s family. They have suffered unimaginable pain and suffering at the hands of Andrew Burfield, a man who is nothing short of a vindictive monster.

“Not only has he murdered Katie in a cold blooded and horrifically violent attack, but he has then tried to conceal her body and repeatedly lied and changed his story to try and cover up his vile actions.

"In my entire police service, I have never dealt with a case involving such an extent of cold and callous pre-meditation.

"There is no doubt he is facing a very lengthy custodial sentence, which I hope will give Katie’s family some sense that justice has been served.

“I would like to place on record my thanks to all the officers involved in this case who worked tirelessly to secure justice for Katie and her family.

"I would also like to thank colleagues from the CPS and KC’s David McLachlan and Emma Kehoe.

“As a force we will continue to prioritise violence against women and girls, to target those who prey on them and to make our communities safe for all.”