Man guilty of killing parents

A County Durham conman convicted of the cold-blooded murder of his parents has been jailed for life.

Stephen Seddon will serve at least 40 years in jail before being considered for parole.

The judge told Seddon he had been driven by greed and "had effectively executed" his parents to collect his inheritance.

During sentencing, Seddon shook his head and shouted "I am an innocent man".

Watch the full report from Claire Montgomery below.

A County Durham man, who was found guilty of killing his parents, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Stephen Seddon shot his mother and father on the 4th of July last year so that he would inherit almost a quarter of a million pounds.

The 46-year-old from Seaham has been jailed for a minimum of 40 years at Manchester Crown Court.

At one point Stephen Seddon shouted from the dock, insisting he was innocent. But the judge told him to keep quiet, and continued his sentencing:

A County Durham man found guilty of killing his parents has been given a life sentence. 46 year old Stephen Seddon from Seaham, shot both his parents so that he would get a quarter of a million pounds.

A man from County Durham is facing life behind bars after shooting both his parents dead so that he could inherit their money.

Stephen Seddon, who is also known as Nic, was found guilty of killing his mother and father so that he would get quarter of a million pounds.

The 46-year-old from Seaham will be sentenced tomorrow.

You can watch the full report from Frances Read below.

Convicted fraudster Stephen Seddon, 46, had once before tried to murder his father, Robert Seddon, 68, and mother, Patricia, 65, by driving into a canal with them strapped in the back seats in a faked road accident.

Seddon then "played the hero" in the aftermath of the "accident" after aborting the murder plan when bystanders went to their aid in the submerged car.

But after that plan failed, four months later he shot the couple to death with a sawn-off shotgun at their suburban home in Sale, Greater Manchester.

His parents had made him sole beneficiary of their £230,000 estate in their will - and paid with their lives.

Today, the father of three, from Benevente Street in Seaham, County Durham, was convicted of two counts of attempted murder on March 20 last year and two counts of murder on July 4, after a five-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.

A man who killed his own parents to collect an inheritance is facing life in jail after being found guilty of their murders.

Stephen Seddon, 46, from Seaham, County Durham shot his mother and father so he could inherit £230,000.

They both died on July 4th 2012 after Seddon used a sawn-off shot gun to kill them at close range.

The jury found him guilty after hearing Seddon had an "insatiable thirst for cash."

After becoming unemployed, his parents Bob and Patricia Seddon, from Sale, Manchester helped him financially.

They gave their son a £40,000 lump sum and bought him a house to keep a roof over his head.

But that wasn't enough for Seddon.

In March 2012 he tried to kill them by faking a road accident and driving a car into a canal in Manchester with them strapped in the back seats.

They all survived and he was hailed a hero for their rescue.

Weeks later he would shoot them at close range before planting the gun on his father's lap to make it look like a murder-suicide.

Known locally as Nic, Seddon had worked as a salesman across the North East. But he also had a string if previous convictions including theft and obtaining goods by deception.

After a five week trial Seddon was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder and two counts of murder.

He will be sentenced tomorrow morning.