How Kohli tried to evade justice | The heartbreaking statement from Hannah's mother | Timeline of the case

The man who kidnapped, raped and murdered a teenage student five years ago has been sentenced to life in prison.

Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, 41, who fled to India to escape punishment for the horrific crime, will serve a minimum of 24 years without parole.

Amid dramatic scenes at Winchester Crown Court, Kohli was found guilty of bundling 17-year-old Hannah Foster into the back of his van, raping and strangling her before dumping her body in a ditch. His conviction marks the culmination of a five-year battle by Hannah's parents which led them from suburban Hampshire to the furthest reaches of the subcontinent.

After the attack in March 2003, Kohli fled to his native India where he changed his appearance, used a false name and began a new life in the foothills of the Himalayas, marrying bigamously.

He was eventually captured after 17 months on the run when Trevor and Hilary Foster travelled to the country to launch an appeal for help to trace him.

Only now can The Times reveal that Kohli made a full confession to Indian police, claiming he wanted to unburden himself and pay for his crimes. But within days he withdrew it, and put up a protracted legal fight against his extradition.

His arrival back in Britain in July last year made him the first man to be extradited from India.

Outside the court today, the Fosters spoke of their extreme gratitude to the Indian people for their "sympathetic and helpful" response to to their appeal. "We couldn't have done it without them," they said.

But Mr Foster said the fact that Kohli would get the second chance at life that he denied their daughter was "hurtful in the cruellest way."

"This man deprived Hannah of her primary human right, the right to life. This sentence gives him a second chance at life, a chance he never gave Hannah."

Kohli had never shown "one iota of remorse" for his crime, he added.

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