Gail Lynch: Ex-lover Ian Hannaford found guilty of murder

THE former boyfriend of missing grandmother Gail Lynch has been found guilty of her murder after a jury took only a few hours to reach a verdict.

The ex-boyfriend of missing Warwick grandmother Gail Lynch has been found guilty of her murder.

THE ex-boyfriend of missing grandmother Gail Lynch has been found guilty of her murder after a jury took only a few hours to reach a verdict.

Ms Lynch, 55, disappeared from her Warwick unit in July, 2012, not long after she broke off a relationship with Ian Hannaford, a Toowoomba man she had met online.

About two weeks after Ms Lynch went missing, Hannaford also disappeared — not long after receiving a visit from police to discuss her last movements.

He was found in a toilet block more than a week later, with police revealing Hannaford had been “living rough” without blankets or warm clothing and was suffering from dehydration.

Extensive searches failed to find any trace of Ms Lynch and prosecutors used DNA evidence to convince the jury she had been murdered by her former lover.

The jury was told DNA belonging to Ms Lynch was found on an axe Hannaford bought the day after she disappeared.

The jury retired to consider a verdict about 3pm Monday and returned with a decision this morning.