Ireland was given a whole-life tariff in 1993 and died in prison on 21 February 2012.

The 51-year-old was given a whole-life tariff after being convicted of the murders in October 1986.

Griffith-Williams then sentenced him to life imprisonment with a whole-life tariff, also calling him a "pathological liar" and "a paedophile".

Although it is possible that some prisoners detained under IPPs may never be released, the possibility of their being released on review exists, and these sentences should not be confused with a sentence of life imprisonment with a whole-life tariff.

Convicted murderers lose appeal against whole-life tariffs 5.

Killer Jeremy Bamber and two convicted murderers lost their appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that whole-life tariffs condemning prisoners to die in jail amounted to "inhuman or degrading treatment".

The whole-life tariff is not "grossly disproportionate" and in each case London's High Court had "decided that an all-life tariff was required, relatively recently and following a fair and detailed consideration", the judges ruled.

But their claims were strongly opposed by Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke, who has said the Government has been "fighting the case vigorously and defending the principle of the whole-life tariff".

Later that day, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole-life tariff, having been called a "pathological liar" and "a paedophile" by the judge.

In May 2008, he lost a High Court appeal against the whole-life tariff in front of Mr. Justice Tugendhat, upheld by the Appeal Court in May 2009.