A deli owner who murdered schoolgirl Paige Doherty then dumped her body in a wooded area has been jailed for life.

John Leathem killed the 15-year-old in a "savage and frenzied" attack at his sandwich shop in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, in March before he moved her body in bin bags to the boot of his car.

He then disposed of the popular teenager's body, which was left with more than 146 injuries as a result of Leathem's attack, in a wooded area next to busy Great Western Road.

At the High Court in Glasgow last month, the 32-year-old pleaded guilty to murdering the teenager at Delicious Deli in Fleming Avenue, Whitecrook.

He returned to court on Wednesday, where he was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 27 years by Lady Rae.

The judge described Paige as a "defenceless child" who was killed in a "savage and frenzied attack" and screams of "beast", "monster" and "rot in hell" were heard from Paige's family as the killer was led away.

The judge added that Leathem had inflicted a "horrific level of violence" on the schoolgirl.

The court previously heard Paige's family said the post-mortem examination confirmed their "worst fears" over the "terror" she must have felt.

In a victim impact statement, Paige's mother Pamela Munro said she "has nightmares and wakes up hearing her daughter's screams, with the awful realisation that she was not there to help her".

Police said that the "sheer weight of evidence" against Leathem led him to plead guilty to Paige's murder.

At the High Court on Wednesday, the killer's QC Ian Duguid said the attack was "out of character", while psychiatrists assessing Leathem found no evidence of anger management issues or personality disorders.

In the deli owner's version of events, he claimed the teenager had threatened to tell people he had "touched" her if he did not give her a job, which led to him "snapping" and attacking her.

However, Lady Rae said no evidence to substantiate this claim had been provided, while nothing had been presented to explain the "ferocity" of the murderous assault.

Lady Rae referred to Leathem's claims during her sentencing. She said: "You claim she threatened to reveal you had touched her inappropriately if you didn't give her that job.

"No evidence has been placed before me to support this. "Even if true, your reaction was in no way mitigating of this appalling, wicked crime. There is no evidence or motive to explain the ferocity of this attack."

The judge added: "It is impossible to comprehend how an apparently happily married man, with a young child, who is running a successful business, is capable of such an horrific level of violence."

It was also highlighted in court that Leathem had originally told police investigating the disappearance of Paige that she had bought a roll in his shop that morning before going to work.

Paige's mother Pamela Munro said outside court: "Today we see a monster put behind bars for the unthinkable, brutal crime he committed against our daughter Paige.

"There is no sentence high enough to justify what has happened but we can now see there is one less evil man in this world, which then makes the world that bit more safe for our kids to grow up in."

She went on: "All we can do as a family is take each day at a time. There is a huge piece missing in our family that can never be replaced.