THE brother of the Manchester Arena bomber has been sentenced to at least 55 years in jail.
Hashem Abedi, 23, was convicted of the murder of 22 people in the terror attack. As he was aged under 21 at the time of the atrocity in May 2017, he could not be given a whole life jail sentence.
His brother Salman, 22 at the time of the atrocity, died in the blast.
Among the victims was 14-year-old Scot Eilidh MacLeod, whose parents had told the court ahead of the sentencing that every day "has been a struggle" since her death.
Justice Jeremy Baker, passing sentence on Hashem Abedi, who refused to come into the courtroom at the Old Bailey, said: "If the defendant, like his brother, had been 21 or over at the time of the offence, the appropriate starting point would have been a whole life order.
"Not only because of the combination of the significant degree of pre-meditation but also because the motivation for them was to advance the ideology of Islamism, a matter distinct to and abhorrent to the vast majority for those who follow the Islamic faith."
READ MORE: Eilidh MacLeod's family pay tribute to Scots schoolgirl as terrorist sentenced
Baker continued: "The defendant and his brother were equally culpable for the deaths and injuries caused by the explosion.
"The stark reality is, these were atrocious crimes. Large in scale, deadly in intent, appalling in their consequences.
"The despair and desolation of the bereaved families has been palpable."
There were audible gasps in court as the judge, precluded from sentencing Abedi to a whole-life term, instead jailed the defendant for life on each of the 22 counts of murder, with a minimum of 55 years before parole.
He added: "The defendant should clearly understand the minimum term he should serve is 55 years. He may never be released."
The judge ordered a copy of his sentencing remarks to be served on Abedi in his cell.
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