In 1996, Timothy Morss and Brett Tyler were later sentenced to life imprisonment for abducting, sexually assaulting, and murdering Handley.

The men – boyfriends Timothy John Morss (born 11 March 1963)[citation needed] and Brett Tyler (born 21 June 1965)[3] – had been cruising the area looking for a young, pre-teen, fair-haired boy to make real their fantasy of abducting such a boy, sexually abusing him and then murdering him.

Handley's killers dumped his body in a shallow grave near a golf course close to Morss' home in Bradley Stoke, near Bristol, before returning later to bury it deeper.

"[8] On 24 November 2002, the pair were two of four child murderers (the others being Howard Hughes and Roy Whiting) who received 50-year tariffs imposed by Home Secretary David Blunkett, effectively meaning that they will remain in prison until at least 2045 and the ages of 82 and 80 respectively.

The final decision on a life sentence prisoner's minimum term now rests with the High Court following a recommendation by the trial judge.