TWO men convicted of a horrific double murder in Hampshire have today been jailed for life.

Cousins Andre Sampson, 22, and Samuel Johnson, 20, have been told they will serve a minimum of 28 years and 24 years respectively for their brutal crimes.

They were accused of stabbing to death Matthew Stacey, 31, and Richard Bateman, 45, in Gosport on July 3 last year. The killings were described by police as being drugs related.

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Mr Stacey was found with 11 stab wounds in Alma Street and later died in hospital. Mr Bateman had been knifed 20 times and was found dead in his nearby house.

During a three week trial, the defendants, from London, both denied the murders, even though their clothes were covered in their victims' blood and despite being caught on CCTV running from the scene.

But a jury at Winchester Crown Court took just three hours to find them guilty on Friday. Their life sentences were handed out today by Judge David Clarke.