A STOURPORT killer has had an appeal against his life sentence for the "horrific murder" of a fellow prison inmate, who was stabbed 190 times, turned down.

Jason Gomez, 46, told prison officers he murdered 46-year-old Darren Flynn in HMP Swaleside, Kent, on March 25 last year, because he was a "grassing nonce".

He was handed life in September while accomplice Paul Wadkin, 33, was given a minimum of 30 years for what Judge Philip Statman called a "savage, brutal and frenzied attack".

Gomez, who admitted his part in the murder while Wadkin pleaded not guilty, appealed the decision at the Royal Courts of Justice in a hearing on Friday (July 22).

In a hearing before Lord Justice Lindblom, the court heard the pair calmly told officers there was a dead body in a cell and said they were responsible.

Mr Flynn was found face down on a bed with puncture wounds to his upper body.

Two weapons, including a knife blade and a piece of metal, were found.

Mr Stephen Vullo, defending, stated the murder was not sufficiently "exceptional" to justify a whole life order and appealed Gomez’ guilty plea should also be taken into account.

But the court upheld the initial decision against Gomez, who is already serving life for murdering business partner Robert Jones in Stourport in 2001.

Wadkin also had his appeal rejected.

Lord Justice Lindblom said: "The sentencing judge cannot be criticised for having decided, after consideration of all the circumstances of the case, including the fact of Gomez’ guilty plea, that the case was sufficiently serious to require a whole life order.

"At the end of the day, the fact is that this was a very serious case indeed.

"It was a horrific murder which had been planned and took time to commit.

"It took place in prison, a setting in which other prisoners are vulnerable.

"Even the circumstances of the appellant’s confession were, as the judge said, chilling.

"It was not said in remorse but in defiance, to show the prison officers what could be done under their noses.

"In our judgment, the judge was perfectly entitled to take the view that the requirements of retribution and deterrence were such that a whole life order was required in this case, despite the guilty plea."