Illegal immigrants who strangled mugging victims with headlocks are sentenced to 30 years

Gabriel Bhengu, 27, and Jabu Mbowane, 26, used their brute strength to grab seven victims in suffocating headlocks before robbing them.

Both men were so strong that two of their targets died in the attacks, while two others told police they felt they were going to die as they were held in headlocks.

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Bhengu, at 6ft 4in the taller and stronger of the pair, usually grabbed their victims while Mbowane rifled through their pockets, the court heard.

Both are known to have entered the UK legally, but their visas had expired by the time of the murders last April and the five other muggings.

Mr Justice Goldring recommended they be deported on their release from their sentences for the murders of Neil Williams, 41, from Telford, Shropshire, and builder Andrew Owen, 42, from Sedgley, West Midlands.

They were killed 20 miles and ten days apart in April last year. Both had been walking home from nights out when they were grabbed round the neck.

Police linked the murders after Mr Williams's watch was found close to Mr Owen's body.

Detectives believe one of the killers had been wearing the watch, which had fallen off as Mr Owen fought for his life.

Mr Owen - a father-of-five - died from neck injuries as a result of the struggle, prosecutor Roger Smith QC told Wolverhampton Crown Court. Mr Williams died of heart failure.

His beige jacket, gold neck chain, bracelet, ring, watch and mobile phone had all been taken from him - but the muggers missed £950 in cash in his trouser pocket.

They were arrested in May last year after visiting a pawnbrokers to try to sell Mr Owen's jewellery.

The trial heard the pair, living in Witmore Reans, Wolverhampton, initially targeted women laden with shopping before switching their increasingly ferocious attentions to men.

They had admitted mugging Mr Williams and Mr Owen but denied intending to harm them or carrying out the other robberies.

But they were convicted of the two murders on Thursday following a five-week trial and returned to Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday for sentencing.

Kashia Allen, 22, Bhengu's girlfriend-drove them to the robberies.

She was cleared of Mr Owen's murder but convicted of manslaughter.

Bhengu and Allen, also of Wolverhampton, were found guilty on five robbery.

Mbowane was convicted of four robberies. Allen will be sentenced later.

Outside court, Mr Williams's brother, Paul, 46, claimed Bhengu had been arrested and held in custody for two weeks in 2004 for a minor offence but had not been deported.

"At that time he was an overstayer...they could have got rid of him then," he said.

"Unless they put the system right it's going to happen again."

He called Bhengu and Mbowane "cowards and parasites".