THE discovery of Lee McKnight’s body on the morning of July 24 last year triggered a huge – and ultimately successful – police murder probe.

At its height, this fast-moving and complex investigation involved 247 police officers and a core team of 11 detectives, who spent weeks unravelling the events linked to the tragedy and movements of the six people who convicted of his murder.

Officers had took 328 statements and made 2,240 inquiries as they gathered the evidence they needed.

They also had to pore over 936 hours of CCTV footage. By the time the case was ready to go to trial, the inquiry teams had amassed and collated 2,826 exhibits.

Lead officers from the case, including Detective Superintendent Dave Stalker, were in court as the jury delivered the six guilty verdicts — the point at which all their hard work had finally paid off.

For more about how police used the video footage that became a key part of the murder investigation click here.