THE savage killers of eight people in a Huddersfield firebomb attack were jailed today for more than 300 years.

The three men convicted of killing eight members of the same family in a horrifying attack on their Birkby home got a total of EIGHT life sentences and 334 years in jail when they were back in court this morning.

And all were told they would have to spend many years in prison before being considered for parole.

Three generations of the same family, including five young girls, died when a blaze swept through the terraced house in Osborne Road, in the early hours of May 12 last year.

Former Greenhead College student Shaied Iqbal, 26, of Springdale Road, Thornton Lodge - who was found guilty of eight counts of murder by a jury at Leeds Crown Court following a six-week trial - was given eight life sentences.

He was also jailed for 14 years for conspiracy to commit arson.

Two other men - Shakiel Shazad, 23, of Gledholt Road, Gledholt, and Nazar Hussain, 24, of Dryclough Road, Crosland Moor - were each given eight 18-year sentences, having been found guilty of manslaughter.

They got 14-year sentences for conspiracy to commit arson and a two-year sentence each for conspiracy to commit criminal damage to cars.

The judge, Mr Justice Andrew Smith, told Iqbal: "My recommendation about your sentence will reflect the ruthlessness with which you conducted and executed the crime."

All three were also found guilty of conspiracy to cause arson with intent to endanger life.

The killers were sentenced along with two other men, who had pleaded guilty at the start of the trial to conspiring to damage motor vehicles.

Mohammed Arif Siddiq, 28, of Walkley Terrace, Heckmondwike, and Intizar Hussain, of Clifton Road, Marsh, both became key prosecution witnesses. They were being sentenced later today.

The victims of the fire were: Mrs Zaib-u-Nisa, 54, her son, Mohammed Ateeq-ur- Rehman, 18, her daughter, Mrs Nafeesa Aziz, 35, and her five young grand-daughters - Tayyaba Batool, 13, Rabia Batool, 10, Ateeqa Nawaz, six, Aneesa Nawaz, two, and Najeeba Nawaz, six months.

Three other members of the family managed to get out of the house, as it became an inferno fuelled by petrol bombs.

They were highly-respected former Imam Mr Abdul Aziz Chishti, his son, Muhammed Shafique, and his daughter, Siddiqah.

The court heard how the gang targetted the house because they wanted to frighten Ateeq, who had learned of an illicit love affair which ended in a frightening kidnap and assault.

Ateeq had talked of the love affair to friends and was also expected to be a key prosecution witness in a trial at Newcastle, when Iqbal was convicted of serious charges.

Police said none of the killers had shown any remorse for their terrible crimes.

All had previous convictions, but nothing that could ever have indicated the horror they would unleash in Birkby.

Shahid Mohammed, 21, of Huddersfield, went on the run after being questioned by police. He is still at large, but detectives have vowed to continue efforts to find him.

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