A FORMER Ipswich man was starting a life sentence today after he admitted stabbing a drug dealer 19 times.

Wayne Grimes, a privately educated father-of-two, was jailed on Thursday for the murder of Zafar Khaliq.

He grew up in Ipswich and attended Stoke High School and left in 1990 before later moving to Hertfordshire.

Mr Khaliq, 43, from Haringey in North London, was reported missing to the Metropolitan Police on Thursday, July 15, having last been seen five days earlier.

His body was found in road works on Thursday, July 22.

St Albans Crown Court heard that Khaliq was stabbed 19 times and his body was buried in a shallow grave.

Khaliq was killed after he called Grimes “a dirty smack head”.

The court heard that he had become concerned about the level of Grimes’ drug addiction and demanded that he clean himself up.

Grimes, of Shirley Road, Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire, wrapped the body in plastic bags and stored it in a bed at his flat, where his girlfriend noticed blood seeping out.

He then arranged for it to be transferred from his flat to the site of a new bypass.

Grimes, 36, pleaded guilty to murder and obstructing a coroner in the execution of his duty, and was given a minimum sentence of 17 years 192 days.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Ross, from the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, led the investigation.

He said: “Wayne Grimes showed no mercy to his victim. Not only did he kill him, he attempted to conceal what he had done.

“The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit are dedicated to bringing offenders of serious crimes to justice and I am pleased that the sentencing of Wayne Grimes reflects the seriousness of the crime.”

Following the court case, Zafar Khaliq’s sons said: “He was a great dad and we miss him very much. It is a big loss.”

Kieran O’Brien, 29, from Peasecroft Road, Hemel Hempstead, also admitted perverting the course of justice and obstructing the coroner at an earlier hearing. He is due to be sentenced next week.