Two men who stabbed a businessman to death during a wages robbery have been jailed for life.

Derek Hunter and Stephen Jones were found guilty of murder by a jury at Lewes Crown Court last Thursday after a four-week trial.

Sentence was adjourned until yesterday, when Judge Anthony Scott-Gall recommended they both serve at least 13 years behind bars before they are considered for release.

The men, who have previous convictions for violence, showed no emotion as sentence was passed.

Michael Willard, 63, a father-of-two, of Harley Shute Road, St Leonards, was stabbed in the back in the office of his firm, Target Scaffolding in Caves Road, St Leonards, on January 10 last year.

At the time of his death Mr Willard, who was born in Hastings, was in his office as usual to pay wages to his staff. It is believed he would have had about £1,000 with him.

Shortly after 4.30pm he called 999 and managed to tell the emergency operator he had been robbed and stabbed. He then collapsed unconscious.

The businessman, known as Mick, died from the single fatal knife wound soon afterwards at the Conquest Hospital, Hastings.

There were no witnesses to the murder and the lethal weapon was never found.

Mr Willard's family and friends packed the public gallery to see his killers put behind bars.

During the trial Hunter, 37, of West Hill Road, St Leonards, and Jones, 28, a father-of-two, of Perth Road, St Leonards, denied murder and blamed each other for inflicting the fatal wound.

The judge told Hunter and Jones that society deserved protection from them for a long time.

He said: "Neither of you has shown a flicker of remorse or contrition for what you did. You took the life of a decent, hard-working family man in the course of a robbery to obtain cash to support your drug addiction.

"Mr Willard had much to show for his life and was no doubt proud of his achievements. Sadly, neither of you has anything to show for your lives."

Addressing Hunter, the judge said: "You have lived by committing crime on a daily basis and you have a quite dreadful criminal record.

"Jones, you are a thoroughly dangerous and violent man.

"Both of you represent a significant and ongoing risk to society, which deserves protection from both of you for a long time."

Extra police officers and jailers were in the courtroom amid fears the ill-feeling between Hunter and Jones could provoke trouble.

But neither of the men, who were handcuffed, acknowledged each other in the dock.

After Mr Willard's murder his daughters Sarah and Victoria described him as the "perfect father".

Sarah said: "We cannot understand why anyone would steal our dad. Our hearts are shattered and our lives will never be the same again."

The two men originally went on trial in May but after 11 days the proceedings were halted after Hunter was injured during an outbreak of trouble in jail.