LONDON: Michael Adebolajo — a Muslim convert who beheaded British soldier Lee Rigby with a meat cleaver in broad daylight on May 22, 2013 has been given life imprisonment. His partner Michael Adebowale has been ordered to spend 45 years in prison.

Judge Nigel Sweeney at the Old Bailey sentenced the two men for murdering soldier Lee Rigby near Woolwich barracks in southeast London. Michael Adebolajo, 29, and Michael Adebowale, 22 first drove into and ran over Fusilier Rigby with a car before hacking him to death in May last year.

The sentencing had been delayed because the judge wanted clarification on a European ruling that made it uncertain whether whole-life jail terms could still be imposed. The pair were absent during sentencing after a scuffle in the dock.

England’s court of appeal has gone against the European court of human rights to uphold judges’ rights to jail the most serious offenders in England and Wales for the rest of their lives on February 18. An earlier ruling by the European court of human rights had said that whole-life tariffs breach a prisoner’s human rights.

A panel of five judges at the court of appeal backed the government’s argument that “life should mean life” in the “most heinous cases”. The ruling cleared the way for sentencing in a number of high-profile murder cases that had been put on hold pending its outcome.

They include the prison terms to be handed out to Michael Adebolajo and Micahel Adebowale.

Rigby’s wife Rebecca said her young child would grow up and see images “no son should have to endure”. Mrs Rigby said she had accepted her husband’s life would be at risk when he was deployed to Afghanistan, but not when he was in the UK.

She said “When you wave someone off you accept that there is a chance you will never see them again. You do not expect to see this on the streets of the UK”. The murder of Lee Rigby was declared by Britain as a terrorist attack. The court was shown how the two men hit Rigby at 40 miles per hour, then got out of the car, dragged the unconscious soldier into the street and butchered him with a meat cleaver and knives.

They then mutilated the body — almost severing his head from his body in the middle of the road on broad daylight.

One of the attackers knelt down by Rigby, took hold of his hair and repeatedly hacked at the right side of his neck just below the jawline. The judge was shown phone camera video clips of blood stained Michael Adebolajo saying “The only reason we’ve killed this man today is because Muslims are dying daily by British soldiers. This British soldier is one — he is an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”

Speaking into the camera, he then said, “I apologize that women had to witness this today but in our lands our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your governments — they don't care about you. Do you think David Cameron is going to get caught in the street, when we start busting our guns, do you think your politicians are going to die? No, it's going to be the average guy, like you and your children. So get rid of them. Tell them to bring our troops back so you can all live in peace. Leave our lands and you will live in peace.”

Adebolajo had bought a five-piece set of kitchen knives from a branch of Argos in Lewisham, southeast London — most of which were used in the attack.