Patrick Joseph Rattigan and Terence Edward Wyatt, now both in their thirties, were convicted of murdering 88-year-old Hilda Tizzard after a bungled burglary on her sheltered accommodation flat in The Poynings, Victoria Drive, Bognor Regis.

They were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1999 and told they would have to serve at least 18 years behind bars before they would even be considered for release.

But, nine years on from their trial at Lewes Crown Court, both applied to the High Court in London to have that minimum terms reviewed.

Giving his judgement on the case today, Mr Justice Field said Rattigan, of Canada Grove, Bognor Regis, and Wyatt, of South Terrace, Littlehampton, had been criminal associates for around four months when they attacked profoundly deaf Mrs Tizzard in December 1998.

In the time they had known each other, they had committed 'a number of burglaries and thefts' and had just been released from police custody on the day of the murder.

The judge said that they broke into Mrs Tizzard's flat, but that she disturbed them while they were looking for money. They then beat her and tied her up, using a vest as a ligature around her neck, which was so tight it eventually caused her death.

At their trial, each man blamed the other for the pensioner's death - but the jury found they had both been equally responsible for the murder.

The judge described how the men had left Mrs Tizzard to die alone in the flat: "Wyatt testified that she was still alive but gurgling when they left. Her death by strangulation would have been an agonising one. Her murder was truly horrific".

He added: "Whilst I am prepared to proceed on the basis that neither intended Mrs Tizzard should die, they both must have realised that, having beaten her and applied the ligature, there was a very high risk of death after they had left the premises.

"While they did not enter the flat with the intention of killing the occupant or inflicting grievous bodily harm on her, the attack on Mrs Tizzard, particularly the application of the ligature, was cold-bloodedly ruthless."

He said that, although Rattigan was only 21 at the time of the murder, he was the 'stronger character', bringing a malign influence to bear on Wyatt, who was 28 at the time.

And he added that, despite their good progress in prison, the pair's conduct had not been 'sufficiently exceptional' to justify any reduction in their minimum jail term.

The judge did, however, rule that the 11 months Wyatt and Rattigan served on remand before being sentenced will count towards their minimum jail terms. The ruling means they can apply for parole in early 2017.

However, they will only then be freed if they can convince the Parole Board it is safe to do so. When released, they will remain on perpetual "life licence", subject to prison recall if they put a foot wrong ever again.

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