TWO killers who disembowelled a man with a breadknife have had their sentences increased after a review of the case by three senior judges.

The Court of Appeal ruled yesterday that Sean Swindon should serve a minimum of 28 years and Michael Peart at least 22 years for the murder of Keith Philpott.

In October, Swindon was given a minimum life term of 20 years, and Peart was ordered to be detained for at least 15 years before parole could be considered.

The Crown Prosecution Service successfully argued for the tariffs to be reconsidered, and yesterday Appeal Court judges ruled that the decision not to class the killing as "sadistic" was wrong.

The pair murdered Mr Philpott, 36, after torturing him for four hours in his home, in Axbridge Court, Billingham, Teesside, last March.

The two killers spent the next day shopping - they were caught on CCTV buying cans of lager and trying to sell a ring that had belonged to their victim.

Swindon wrongly believed Mr Philpott had harassed his sister, Gemma, 19, and sent her sexually suggestive text messages - even though he could barely read or write.

Mr Philpott, who had learning difficulties, was ordered to get on his knees where he was bound and gagged, before the pair kicked and stamped on his head until he was unrecognisable.

He was stabbed in the stomach by Swindon and was probably still alive when he was disembowelled with a bread knife on his living room floor.

Teesside Crown Court was told in October that there was no truth in claims of a sexual relationship with Swindon's sister, who visited Mr Philpott's flat with friends.

Swindon, 24, from Middlesbrough, and Peart, 22, from Norton, near Stockton, will still only be freed if they can persuade the parole board they pose no public threat.

Mr Philpott's 43-year-old brother, Stephen, said: "There is some sort of comfort that the sentences have been increased.

"It is a little bit of a result and a little bit of comfort, particularly for Keith's mother."

Brother-in-law, Peter Murray, said outside court: "We would have liked to have thought they would be in jail for the rest of their lives, but we know that will never be.

"The enormity of what they have done has been hammered home to them."

Lord Justice Rose said trial judge Peter Fox, QC, had wrongly ruled that the murder was not sadistic and that led him to take a 15-year starting point when setting the killers' tariffs, instead of the 30-year starting point he should have used.