Serial sex attacker Adrian Bayley has been jailed for at least 35 years for the brutal rape and murder of ABC staffer Jill Meagher on a Melbourne street.

In a case which shocked the nation, Bayley attacked the 29-year-old as she was on her way home from a night out in September last year.

Handing down sentence in the Victorian Supreme Court in Melbourne this morning, Justice Geoffrey Nettle sentenced the 41-year-old to life for the murder, and 15 years for what he described as "a savage violent rape of the worst kind".

He said Bayley would be 76 years old before he became eligible for parole.

Speaking outside court, Ms Meagher's father George said "justice has now been done" and thanked police and prosecutors.

Bayley had stared at the floor throughout the sentencing hearing as Mr McKeon, along with Ms Meagher's mother Edith, her husband Tom, and her brother Michael McKeon, looked on.

"Your rape and murder of the deceased has had profound, terrible effects on the lives of other people," Justice Nettle said.

The judge said Bayley's "small degree of genuine remorse" kept him out of the worst category of offender, and said he was discounting the sentence because Bayley's guilty plea had saved Ms Meagher's family the ordeal of sitting through a trial.

Judge describes offence as "one of the worst kinds conceivable"

The court was told that Bayley, who has a long history of violent sexual attacks on women, had made one serious suicide attempt since being arrested.

"This is not the first time that you have been found guilty of violent sexual offences," the judge said.

"As your criminal record reveals, you are a recidivist violent sexual offender who has had little compunction about sexual offending when the mood takes you, or about threatening and inflicting violence as part of the process.

"You strangled Gillian Meagher with intent to kill her either because she would otherwise have called the police or because of some form of perverted pleasure which derived from taking her life," he added.

"In terms of moral culpability your killing of the deceased ranks among the worst kinds conceivable and that you must be sentenced accordingly."

Bayley only looked up when sentence was handed down, and was stony-faced as he was led from court.

Family says 'justice has now been done', thanks police

Sorry, this video has expired Watch Jill Meagher's father speaking outside court

In a brief statement on behalf of the family outside court after the sentencing, Ms Meagher's father George said "justice has now been done".

"Jill lived a life full of family, friends and her beloved Tom," Mr Meagher said.

"Jill was brutally raped and murdered and is never coming back.

"Because of Ben Leonard and the team at Victoria Police, and Richard Lewis and his colleagues at Public Prosecutions Victoria, justice has now been done.

"Police and prosecutors, we thank you."

Mr Meagher then turned around and walked back into the court building.

Bayley's history of attacks spans 20 years

In a pre-sentencing hearing last week, the prosecution revealed Bayley's long history of violent attacks on women, spanning more than 20 years.

It also revealed he had previously bluffed his way through prison rehabilitation courses.

Bayley was on parole when he snatched Ms Meagher off Sydney Road in Brunswick as she tried to make a five-minute walk home after a night out with friends.

Her body was found on September 28, 2012, at the side of the road at Gisborne South, about 50km north-west of Melbourne.

The court heard Ms Meagher was killed because she fought back and threatened to call the police.

The case has been described by politicians, law experts and police as a "catastrophic" failure of the justice system.

Prosecutors had argued that Bayley should be jailed indefinitely, but his lawyers said he should be given a minimum sentence.