Jeweller's murderers must serve life behind bars for 'cruel' killing

Thomas Jervis, 24, and Charles Mcauley, 20, were previously convicted after trial of murdering Ramniklal Jogiya on the grounds of joint enterprise.

On Monday, the heist's planner Jervis was jailed for life with a minimum term of 33 years, while Mcauley was sentenced to custody for life with a minimum of 30 years.

Elderly Mr Jogiya was bundled into a van while walking home on a cold night in January, before he was beaten for information and then dumped in a country lane near Stoughton, Leicestershire.

Callan Reeve, 20, who was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter after a five-week trial, was jailed for 16 years.

Mr Jogiya was handled with such force that one of his biceps was ripped away from the bone, six of his ribs on the left side were broken, and he had multiple injuries to his hands and fingers.

Jervis, of Enderby Road, Whetstone, Leicestershire, was sent back to the shop to open the safe while wearing a burkha disguise, but was defeated by a 12-hour time-lock.

Mcauley, of Gooding Avenue, Leicester, had denied having anything to do with the killing and tried to lay the blame at the door of another man during the trial.

He and Jervis hugged as they walked from the dock at Birmingham Crown Court, as Mcauley nodded and waved to family in the packed public gallery.

Reeve, of Aylmer Road, Leicester, bowed his head as he was sentenced.

Jailing the men, Mr Justice Martin Spencer said: "One can only imagine the terror that poor man went through in the back of the van as the information required was tortured out of him.

"He was then dumped by the side of the road in the Leicestershire countryside and left to die.

"This was a cowardly, cruel and callous crime committed by men motivated by greed and self-interest with no respect for human life."