A CONVICTED murderer who falsely claimed killing missing York chef Claudia Lawrence has been jailed for life.

Daniel Oxley, 22, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years and nine months for the murder of Michael Outhwaite.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that Oxley and Mr Outhwaite, 42, had spent the day together in Willington, County Durham, after Oxley had been released from prison last year. Mr Outhwaite’s body was found with more than a dozen stab wounds from a kitchen knife in a field in the early hours of September 12.

When he was arrested, Oxley admitted he was behind the frenzied attack and also said he had killed Claudia Lawrence, who has been missing since 2009, and another man, and claimed to be Britain’s youngest serial killer.

The court heard Oxley returned to his parents’ home after Mr Outhwaite’s murder, and told them about it, phoning the police at their request.

Prosecutor Nick Dry said: “On the way to the police station he claimed he had murdered Claudia Lawrence and asked how long he might get for a double murder.

“He claimed he had killed a third person and said he would be the UK’s youngest serial killer.”

The court also heard Oxley had confessed to Mr Outhwaite’s murder to a taxi driver and reenacted the attack with another man outside an off-licence.

Tim Roberts QC, for Oxley, said: “He said attention-seeking and grandiose things after he was arrested to those in authority to misrepresent his own position.”

Mr Outhwaite, from Sunderland, was killed with a kitchen knife at about 8.30pm on September 11, before Oxley stole money from his pockets and keys to his flat at the homeless hostel they lived at, where he ransacked the dead man’s room and changed his clothes.

Oxley pleaded guilty to one count of murder and was sentenced to life with a minimum of term of 23 years and nine months before he can apply for parole.

Claudia was last seen on CCTV on March 18, 2009, and police believe she left for work at the University of York the next day but never arrived.

On the fifth anniversary of her disappearance last year, North Yorkshire Police’s Major Crime Unit released new evidence to the public in the hope it would lead to new information being given to officers.

Since then, one man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and has been released from bail. A second man was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and remains on police bail.