A woman and her boyfriend lured her stepfather to her flat before killing him and disposing of his body in a “calculated and cold-hearted way”.

Frank McKeever, 63, was last seen walking along Highbury Park in August 2021 and has been missing ever since.

His stepdaughter, Surie Suksiri, 31, of The Chestnuts in Highbury, and her partner Juned Sheikh, 48, of Haywood Street in Southwark, have now been found guilty of his murder – even though his body has never been found.

On the day of Mr McKeever’s disappearance, Suksiri shared a video on WhatsApp which showed the 63-year-old apparently confessing to sexually assaulting her when she was a young girl.

Islington Gazette: Frank McKeever's body has never been foundFrank McKeever's body has never been found (Image: Met Police)

Prosecutors argued that he was murdered either in “retribution” for the alleged unlawful sexual activity, or because of a disagreement about whether he would swap his council flat with another family member.

McKeever was last captured on CCTV leaving and returning to Suksiri’s flat with Sheikh on August 28, 2021.

Evidence showed that he had not used his mobile phone, bank cards, Oyster card, or had any other contact with his family and friends since.

In little more than an hour after his arrival at her flat, Suksiri shared the WhatsApp video confession of McKeever.

At the beginning of the video, Suksiri could be heard to say “start”, indicating that this was a video orchestrated and directed with her involvement.

Suksiri later pawned her step-father’s rings to pay for a car that was found and purchased by Sheikh, a vehicle they went on to use to transport his body to an unknown location, prosecutors claimed.

Mr McKeever’s disappearance raised concern with people he was due to meet in early September. By September 9, these people were so concerned that they reported him missing to the police.

When police were called to Suksiri’s flat about an unrelated matter later in September 2021, body-worn video cameras worn by the attending police officers recorded Sheikh calling Suksiri a murderer.

He also threatened to tell the police what had happened to her step-father.

But prosecutors said that it was an undercover police operation that finally proved he had been murdered by Suksiri and Sheikh.

Suksiri admitted to an undercover police officer that she had been involved with his death and effectively claimed that she was the mastermind behind the plot.

Emma Currie, from the CPS, said: “What makes this case even more shocking is that Suksiri and Sheikh both know where they disposed of Mr McKeever’s body but have so far declined to help police.

“It must be agonising for Mr McKeever’s family to have been prevented from paying their final respects to him and are left dealing with his loss without really knowing what happened to him.

 “I hope that today’s verdict will at least provide Frank McKeever’s family and friends with a feeling that justice has been delivered.”

 Suksiri and Sheikh were both convicted of murder and preventing a lawful burial. They will be sentenced on November 20.