FOUR members of a sadistic gang who killed a student and set his body alight were jailed for life at the Old Bailey on Monday after one of the longest murder trials in legal history, which lasted seven-months and cost £17 million.

The top of victim Arvithan Muthukamarasamy's head was sliced off with an axe when he was mistakenly blamed for scratching a BMW belonging to one of the killers.

Eight months after the murder of the 25-year-old, Sri Lankan student Supenthar Ramachandran, 18, was beaten to death over a £200 debt and his body burned in Roe Green park in Kingsbury.

Ringleader Senthamil Thillainathan, 21, who was involved in both murders was given two life sentences. Three other men involved in the killing of Mr Ramachandran also got life. One, Kannan Sivakumar, 31, a Tamil Tiger had been granted asylum in Britain after being tortured by Sri Lankan goverment forces during the civil war.

Judge Paget told the gang: "You assaulted him in various ways, causing sickening injuries. He was stripped naked and, after beating him, you poured petrol on him and set fire to him so that he was unrecognisable. The violence you used passed belief."

Mr Muthukamarasamy was killed in a "vicious and remorseless attack" on a carload of men wrongly blamed by Thillainathan for damaging his friend's BMW.

Passing the second life term, Judge Paget told Thillainathan: "The attack was clearly planned. Those who took part were armed with axes and swords and caused truly grievous injuries to all five men, and fatal injuries to one."

Prosecutor Aftab Jafferjee said the gang embarked on an act of revenge of almost "unimaginable ferocity".

Thillainathan and his gang pounced as Mr Muthukamarasamy and four friends sat in a car in Glenmore Parade, Wembley. One man was stabbed with a sword, and when he tried to ward off the blows his hand was virtually sliced off. He recognised one of his assailants and asked: "Why are you doing this?" The attacker's response was to hit him on the head with an axe.

The driver had part of his ear detached and suffered a punctured lung.

Mr Muthukamarasamy's skull was shattered by the axe, and he had seven stab wounds, one of which went 15cm into his lung.

Mr Ramachandran, 18, had come from Sri Lanka hoping to lift his family out of poverty and was studying maths and science at Harrow College. He got to know Thillainathan and his accomplices when he sought protection from Muslims who were bullying him at the college.

The gang took him the Palm Beach restaurant in Ealing Road, Wembley, and demanded £200 they claimed he owed. Mr Jafferjee said he had been treated as a means of paying for an "extraordinarily expensive" meal.

Sivakumar rang the boy's uncle, demanding the money and they then drove the petrified victim to Roe Green park.

Mr Ramachandran's charred remains were found the following day by a passer-by.

Thillainathan, of Chatsworth Avenue, Wembley, denied murdering Mr Muthukamarasamy on June, 18, 2001, and Mr Ramachandran between February 17 and 20, 2002. He was convicted of those charges and four counts of wounding with intent on June 17, 2001, by attacking Baskaran Nadarajah, Thavakumar Mahalingham, Visvanathan Satheeslaran and Patheepan Ariyaratnam.

Pradeep Sivaneesan, 19, of Chalkhill Road, Wembley; Kannan Sivakumar, 31, of Borehamwood, and Satheeskumar Arulanathan, 18, of Lancelot Avenue, Wembley, were all convicted of murdering Mr Ramachandran. Thillainathan and Sivakumar were both jailed for life.

Thillainathan also received concurrent ten year terms for each wounding charge. Sivaneesan and Arulanathan were ordered to be detained during Her Majesty's pleasure in a young offender's institute.

The judge said he would recommend Sivakumar for deportation. Four members of a sadistic gang who killed a student and set his body alight were jailed for life at the Old Bailey on Monday after one of the longest murder trials in legal history, which lasted seven-months and cost £17 million.

The top of victim Arvithan Muthukamarasamy's head was sliced off with an axe when he was mistakenly blamed for scratching a BMW belonging to one of the killers.

Eight months after the murder of the 25-year-old, Sri Lankan student Supenthar Ramachandran, 18, was beaten to death over a £200 debt and his body burned in Roe Green park in Kingsbury.

Ringleader Senthamil Thillainathan, 21, who was involved in both murders was given two life sentences. Three other men involved in the killing of Mr Ramachandran also got life. One, Kannan Sivakumar, 31, a Tamil Tiger had been granted asylum in Britain after being tortured by Sri Lankan goverment forces during the civil war.

Judge Paget told the gang: "You assaulted him in various ways, causing sickening injuries. He was stripped naked and, after beating him, you poured petrol on him and set fire to him so that he was unrecognisable. The violence you used passed belief."

Mr Muthukamarasamy was killed in a "vicious and remorseless attack" on a carload of men wrongly blamed by Thillainathan for damaging his friend's BMW.

Passing the second life term, Judge Paget told Thillainathan: "The attack was clearly planned. Those who took part were armed with axes and swords and caused truly grievous injuries to all five men, and fatal injuries to one."

Prosecutor Aftab Jafferjee said the gang embarked on an act of revenge of almost "unimaginable ferocity".

Thillainathan and his gang pounced as Mr Muthukamarasamy and four friends sat in a car in Glenmore Parade, Wembley. One man was stabbed with a sword, and when he tried to ward off the blows his hand was virtually sliced off. He recognised one of his assailants and asked: "Why are you doing this?" The attacker's response was to hit him on the head with an axe.

The driver had part of his ear detached and suffered a punctured lung.

Mr Muthukamarasamy's skull was shattered by the axe, and he had seven stab wounds, one of which went 15cm into his lung.

Mr Ramachandran, 18, had come from Sri Lanka hoping to lift his family out of poverty and was studying maths and science at Harrow College. He got to know Thillainathan and his accomplices when he sought protection from Muslims who were bullying him at the college.

The gang took him the Palm Beach restaurant in Ealing Road, Wembley, and demanded £200 they claimed he owed. Mr Jafferjee said he had been treated as a means of paying for an "extraordinarily expensive" meal.

Sivakumar rang the boy's uncle, demanding the money and they then drove the petrified victim to Roe Green park. Mr Ramachandran's charred remains were found the following day by a passer-by.

Thillainathan, of Chatsworth Avenue, Wembley, denied murdering Mr Muthukamarasamy on June, 18, 2001, and Mr Ramachandran between February 17 and 20, 2002. He was convicted of those charges and four counts of wounding with intent on June 17, 2001, by attacking Baskaran Nadarajah, Thavakumar Mahalingham, Visvanathan Satheeslaran and Patheepan Ariyaratnam.

Pradeep Sivaneesan, 19, of Chalkhill Road, Wembley; Kannan Sivakumar, 31, of Borehamwood, and Satheeskumar Arulanathan, 18, of Lancelot Avenue, Wembley, were all convicted of murdering Mr Ramachandran. Thillainathan and Sivakumar were both jailed for life.

Thillainathan also received concurrent ten year terms for each wounding charge. Sivaneesan and Arulanathan were ordered to be detained during Her Majesty's pleasure in a young offender's institute.

The judge said he would recommend Sivakumar for deportation.