Two men who brutally beat a man to death in a sickening three-hour attack will between them serve a minimum of 24 years in prison, a judge ruled.
Mark Negus and Ian Bonner repeatedly punched, kicked and bludgeoned 31-year-old Carl Tunnell with a chair leg at his home in York Road, Great Yarmouth in April 2001, before leaving him to die.
In February 2002, Negus, then 35, and Bonner, then 28, were sentenced to life imprisonment at Norwich Crown Court after admitting the murder.
A third man, Nigel Jacobs, then 23,, was convicted of manslaughter following his part in the attack, and was jailed for 4½ years.
Yesterday at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Mr Justice Openshaw ruled Bonner must serve a minimum of 13-years, and Negus and minimum of 11-years, before either is considered for parole.
He added neither man would be released until the Parole Board was satisfied they posed no further risk to the public, and after release would remain on licence for the rest of their lives.
Setting the tariff Mr Justice Openshaw told the court that the attack had been sparked after the three killers accused Mr Tunnell of being a paedophile.
He said: “There is not the slightest reason to think that their suspicions were well-founded.
“As a result of their belief they very severely beat him up - without pity. The attack lasted over three hours.
“The wretched victim was attacked in the kitchen, the backyard and in the hall. He was attacked with feet, fists and chair legs, all joined in the assault.â€
The killing took place at a house owned by the Herring House Trust, a charity providing accommodation for the homeless.
Mr Tunnell lived there with Bonner, Negus and another resident Brian Jackson. Jacobs was a friend of Bonner.
Detectives investigating the murder described Tunnell as “a gentle giant†and described the violence used against him as “incredibleâ€.
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