A burglar who strangled his 85-year-old victim then torched her bungalow to destroy the evidence was told yesterday he will serve at least 34 years in prison.

Steven Hodgson, 33, tortured Patricia Thompson to make her tell him her bank Pin number, a judge told him as he passed a life sentence.

He picked on the popular church-goer having checked out her neighbourhood of sheltered accommodation in Hartburn, Teesside, on Google Maps two days before her murder last September.

He was convicted unanimously of murder and burglary following a six-day trial at Teesside Crown Court.

Mr Justice Davis told the defendant: "I can detect at no stage the slightest degree of remorse on your part at the death of this lovely woman.

"You are a very dangerous man."

The prolific burglar, with a long history of violence, admitted to the jury he preferred to break into homes when the occupier was in, as that meant cash, handbags and bank cards present.

The judge accepted he was not armed when he broke in.

"You didn't need to have a weapon, she was an old lady," Mr Justice Davis said.

"You knew the house was occupied by an old lady, that's one of the reasons why you deliberately targeted it.

"A grave feature is you inflicted violence almost in the form of torture on her with a view to extracting a Pin number before you strangled her."

Starting two fires in the house to destroy evidence was "a vile thing to do", the judge said.

"Just think of the impact on her family," he said.

The heroin and crack user broke in through a bathroom window, confronted the "pillar of the community" and killed her.

He then called a cab from her house phone and, when it arrived, started blazes in the bedroom and living room.

The taxi drove him away with two suitcases full of her property, including jewellery.

By the time he was dropped off 10 miles away, close to his home in South Bank, Middlesbrough, one of Mrs Thompson's neighbour had raised the alarm.

Firefighters in breathing apparatus found her body after a fingertip search.

A manhunt was launched when police found she had died before the fire started.

Mr Hodgson went on a spending spree using her bank card and got his partner to pawn stolen jewellery, including the grandmother's wedding ring.

After his arrest, Mr Hodgson's DNA was linked to samples found under his victim's fingernails, indicating she fought for her life.

His far-fetched explanation that the DNA was left on her hands when she ruffled his hair after he offered to clean her windows was dismissed by the jury.

He tried to explain away possessing items taken in the burglary by saying he broke into the pensioner's home the night before she was murdered - claiming another intruder must have killed her.