A murderer who subjected his victim to an "orgy of violence" before killing him has been jailed for life.

Darren Rhodes, 22, of Heaton Road, Manningham, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court yesterday after admitting the murder of retired bus driver Mohammed Mukhtar Choudury last September.

The court heard how Rhodes had lured father-of-six Mr Choudury, 50, of Duchy Crescent, to his home before subjecting him to a sustained hammer attack and robbing him of his personal possessions.

Mr Choudury's body was then dumped by Rhodes and his girlfriend Debbie Andrews, 21, also of Heaton Road, at the junction of Scotchman Road and Heaton Road, Bradford, where he was found by a passing ambulance crew.

Rhodes and Andrews, who were with the body at the time, claimed they had found him in the street and were trying to help him.

Detective Chief Superintendent Max McLean, of Bradford Police, said it was unclear how Rhodes had convinced the victim to return home with him but once there he suffered an appalling ordeal.

He said: "It is our case that Mr Choudury was lured to that address by Rhodes for the purpose of robbery.

"Once he was there he suffered an orgy of violence that lasted at least two hours. He was battered to death with a hammer. He was the subject of an appalling assault."

Andrews was yesterday sentenced to 15 months for assisting an offender. She had admitted helping her boyfriend carry the victim's body from their home, cleaning Mr Choudury's blood from the carpet, and also hiding his stolen personal effects.

Det Chief Sup Mclean said a forensic examination of the house found blood-stains. Items - including some papers and spectacles - belonging to Mr Choudury were found secreted in the house.

Det Chief Supt McLean added: "It would have been easy to concentrate on Rhodes but good detective work proved that Andrews played an important role in the sorry tale."

After the murder Mr Choudury's brother-in-law, Ashfaq Hussain, 28, from Hawks Wood Avenue, Heaton, described him as a "jolly and gentle person".

He said: "His six children and wife have all got to cope with this. Now we are all left asking why? He never hurt anyone. All he ever did was live his life for his family and his other, he was never selfish.

"This death is the kind of thing you read in the papers or see on TV but it always seems so distant, you never imagine it will happen to someone so close to you."