DANISH submarine inventor Peter Madsen has been found guilty of torturing and murdering Swedish reporter Kim Wall during a private submarine trip.

He has been sentenced to life in prison.

Judge Anette Burkoe at the Copenhagen City Court said she and two jurors unanimously decided Wall’s death was a murder, saying Madsen did not given “a trustworthy” explanation.

Madsen said he would appeal against the conviction and sentence.

It was a “cynical murder” of a journalist who was performing her duties, the court heard in a hearing which was not broadcast live due to a court order.

In Denmark, a life sentence equates to 16 years, which can be extended if necessary.

Throughout the trial that started on March 8, Madsen, 47, has denied murder, saying 30-year-old Wall died accidentally inside the submarine but changed his story about how she died.

Wall embarked on Madsen’s submarine on August 10 to interview the entrepreneur.

He initially denied dismembering her, then later confessed he had done so and said he had thrown her body parts into the Baltic Sea.

The cause of death has never been established but the court found that Madsen “cut the body into pieces to hide what had happened”.