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Robert Cameron, 28, of Richmond Way, Garforth, must also serve eight years for conspiring to rob car dealer Edward 'Teddy' Simpson of £300,000.

His accomplices - Dacosta Daniel, 29, of Servia Gardens, Gipton; Errol Witter, 27, of Blenheim View, Woodhouse - also recived the same sentence.

Mr Simpson, 56, was killed at his home on Sticker Lane, Bradford, in August 2007, after being viciously beaten with weapons including a pistol, a wrench and a frying pan. His body was found dumped in the grounds of a former nursing home in Wyke, near Bradford.

Leeds Crown Court heard how the father-of-four was subjected to a form of "water torture" in his living room, with the robbers putting a cushion cover over his head and dripping water on his face to force him to reveal the whereabouts of the stash.

Blood splatters were found in the hallway of the house and even in the children's ball pool, while the men also used a monkey wrench to attack one of Mr Simpson's friends, Gary Folkard, after he interrupted the robbery.

A post-mortem revealed Mr Simpson had suffered 56 external injuries and a shattered skull, probably caused by severe blows and stamps.

Sentencing the trio to a minimum of 33 years in prison, the Honourable Mr Justice Langstaff said: "There was a significant element of careful planning. This was not a killing which occurred in the heat of the moment. You were willing recruits.

"You are all men in your prime and at the time, you were big and bulky. Two of you are tall, while the third is ex-army, goes to the gym and is physically very strong. You gave Mr Simpson little chance to put up any resistance."

Daniel, Witter and Cameron, who were found guilty of Mr Simpson's murder in August, were also jailed for eight years for conspiracy to rob, to be served concurrently with the murder sentence.

The jury failed to reach a verdict against a fourth Leeds man, Anthony Neale, of Nice View, Harehills, along with Bradford men Darren Martin and Antony Davies. They will face a re-trial in June 2009.

Detective Superintendent Paul Taylor, who led the investigation, said: "Thirty-three years is a substantial sentence but when you think about the level of violence used and the sheer cruelty inflicted on Teddy, it's entirely appropriate that that level of sentence should be meted out."