A UK court has sentenced a 52-year-old native of Kerala settled in the UK to 40 years in prison for murdering his wife and two children in their family home at Kettering, 107km from London, on December 15 last year.

Saju Chelavalel, whose roots are in Kannu's Iritty, was convicted and sentenced at the Northampton Crown Court after confessing in April to strangulating nurse Anju Asok (35) and their two children - Jeeva Saju (6) and Janvi Saju (4)."While you were squeezing the life out of your wife, your children could be heard crying in the background for their mummy.

It is clear that they heard what was going on and knew that she was being hurt by you," the judge said.

The verdict came a day ahead of what would have been Anju's birthday.