Bamber told he will die in prison

Bamber stood to inherit £500,000 from his parents' estate

A killer convicted of murdering five members of his family has been told he will die in jail.

Jeremy Bamber was convicted of killing his adoptive parents, his sister and her six-year-old twin sons at their farmhouse in Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Essex.

Bamber, who has always denied the 1985 murders, had his "whole-life" tariff sentence reviewed at the High Court.

But Mr Justice Tugendhat ruled that the murders were so "exceptionally serious" the 47-year-old should never be freed.

Family members of those who died heard the judge tell Bamber: "You ought to spend the whole of the rest of your life in prison, and I so order."

Gun silencer

In 1986 he was convicted of murdering his wealthy adoptive parents June and Nevill, his sister Sheila Caffell, and her sons Daniel and Nicholas in August 1985.

The trial at Chelmsford Crown Court heard that Nevill, 61, was found downstairs while Ms Caffell was found dead upstairs, as was his mother and nephews.

Police initially suspected that Ms Caffell, who had not been taking her medication for schizophrenia, had carried out the murders before turning the gun on herself.

But three days after the shootings, a cousin of Bamber's discovered the gun's silencer apparently with Ms Caffell's blood on it.

Four weeks later, Bamber's girlfriend Julie Mugford told police he had often boasted to her he was going to kill his parents.

He would have inherited almost £500,000 from his parents' estate.

Mr Justice Tugendhat said there was no reason for him to depart from recommendations made both by the Lord Chief Justice and the Home Secretary that Bamber must serve a "whole life" tariff.

He said Bamber "continues to deny that he committed the murders" and had not shown a shred of remorse.