A string of lies and deception marked the case of the man jailed for life for the murder of William Buckingham.

Bus driver Daniel Press, 24, from Ewell, lied about his involvement in the death of Mr Buckingham through eight police interviews, a jury at Kingston Crown Court heard.

Press, who rammed his car into the Morden footballer on the A24 London Road after a fight at the Star Pub, on September 27, hid the vehicle from police after learning Mr Buckingham had died.

Press, his sister Alyssa, 29, and girlfriend Kerry Barnett, 23, also mother of his two children Joshua, three, and Keira, 19 months old, lied to police to conceal the fact that Press was driving his car on the night Mr Buckingham died.

After being arrested for the first time on September 28, Press told Surrey Police officers he did not drive his car that night and that his sister had given him a lift to the Star Pub and picked him up along with his girlfriend, Barnett.

He said Alyssa Press then drove them to Barnett’s house in Sherbourne Crescent, Carshalton where they watched a Star Wars DVD, the court heard.

On Sunday evening, after being released by Surrey Police, he went to an unoccupied property belonging to his family on Poole Road, Ewell, where he dropped his Vauxhall Calibra, which he had used to kill Mr Buckingham.

The next day, he and his sister went back to the house and hid the damaged Calibra in the garage.

But members of the public reported that they had seen the car parked outside the property and being placed in the garage, helping officers to recover the single most important piece of evidence in the trial.

Judge Nicholas Price, on sentencing Press, yesterday (July 23), said: “Had it not been for members of the public it may well be that the vehicle could have never been recovered.

“Even after it had been recovered, you continued lying.”

His sister and girlfriend, who had also lied to help him maintain his story, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice in January.

They will be sentenced at a later date.

• What do you think? Let us know by email here, phone the newsdesk on 020 8330 9555 or leave a comment below.