A KILLER who murdered his disabled mum “abused the faith she put in him to care for her”, the officer who led the investigation insisted .

Det Chf Insp Stuart Truss also said Andrew Wilding took a “selfish and horrific” decision when he set fire to the home he shared with his mother, Elsie Pinder, 66, in Southchurch Road, Southend.

Wilding, 42, was jailed for life at Basildon Crown Court, with Mr Truss praising his team’s hard work on the “complex” investigation.

He said: “Elsie Pinder was vulnerable and what he did was an abuse of the faith she put in her son to look after her.

“It was a very selfish and horrific decision he took that night and we say it was partly motivated by greed and desire for a new life with his partner.

“We say she had possibly become a burden to him. We knew the evidence showed his clear guilt and we feel justice has some served for Elsie and her wider family.

“We are pleased with the sentence and I am not surprised by this or the verdict.”

He said many hours went into the investigation and he praised his team who he said had justice for Ms Pinder at the front of their mind.

Det Chf Insp Truss said that in his seven years investigating homicides he had never seen a case like this.

He added: “It was not a straight forward investigation and lots of evidence would have been destroyed in the fire.

“There was a narrow gap between him leaving the home and smoke being seen on the CCTV coming from the home, so it was clear the fire was burning.

“I am exceedingly proud of the team for all its hard work in the case.

It is exceptionally rare for an adult male to kill his own mother and I have not seen a case of this emotional magnitude.

“One of the key parts of evidence was the CCTV showing the smoke coming from the home seconds after he left the property.

“We recovered his digital devices and a big turning point was when we found the searches around arson, fire, battery and serial killers.