Two CSI fans who killed and dismembered their half-brother, and then tried to use knowledge gleaned from the American television drama to outwit detectives, were facing lengthy prison terms today.

Brothers James Baigent, 30, of Camberley, Surrey, and Mark Baigent, 27, of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, plus their cohort Jeff Woods, 36, of Bracknell, Berkshire, were convicted of murdering Andrew Scanlan, 35, also of Peterborough, following a trial at Cambridge Crown Court. All three had denied their crimes.

Mr Justice Calvert-Smith was this afternoon due to impose mandatory life sentences, and say how long each man should serve in prison before being eligible for parole.

James Baigent’s wife Charlotte, 28, was convicted of assisting her husband and brother-in-law. She was freed on bail and will be sentenced at a later date.

Detectives said they found a host of CSI DVDs at the Baigents' house and there was evidence that the brothers had tried to use “forensic” knowledge to cover their trail.

The court heard that Charlotte Baigent also told friends how they took ideas from CSI, which stars actor William Petersen. They dismembered Mr Scanlan’s body and hid the parts in separate woodland graves, wrapping their hands in sticky tape to clean a car the victim had travelled in. They also used an ultra-violet light to search for tell-tale fibres in the car and sent a fake text from Mr Scanlan’s phone to give the impression that he was still alive.

But real scenes of crime officers and forensic scientists had been too clever and were led to the killers by following a trail of mobile phone calls.

Woods then told detectives where Mr Scanlan’s remains had been left - although he denied having anything to do with the murder.

Prosecutor Timothy Spencer QC told jurors that Mr Scanlan, who was unemployed, disappeared from his home in November 2006 and his remains were found nearby in woodland graves at Sandy Hill, Hampshire.

Mr Spencer said the Baigent brothers had “hated” Mr Scanlan since he reported Mark Baigent to police for an attempted robbery and possession of a firearm. Baigent was given a four-year jail term as a result.

Prosecutors said James Baigent, a factory worker, Mark Baigent, a local newspaper sales representative, and Woods, a tree surgeon, formed a “bond” and conspired to murder.

“James and Charlotte were very keen on watching the television programme CSI - Crime Scene Investigation,” Mr Spencer told the jury of four men and eight women.

“It seems that they took from this television programme, and other programmes like that, some knowledge of forensic science and the sort of forensic science crime scene investigators can use. It was knowledge they were to use in due course, particularly in relation to the cover-up.”

After the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Jason Gordon, who led the inquiry, added: “It would seem they were pretty big CSI fans. We found a lot a of tapes. We think they got some ideas from it - the taping of the hands and so on. And they did a pretty good job of covering their tracks.”

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