Mahmod Mahmod, the father of honour killing victim Banaz Mahmod, arrives at the Old Bailey Court in London in April 2007. The father and two other men were jailed over a "barbaric" honour killing ordered by the family of a 20-year-old Kurdish woman after she had an affair with a man they deemed unsuitable.[AFP]

The trio included the father and uncle of Banaz Mahmod, who were given life prison terms over the rape, torture and killing early last year.

Mahmod Mahmod, 54, was ordered to serve at least 20 years and his brother Ari, 51, will stay behind bars for a minimum of 23 years. A third killer, 30-year-old Mohamad Hama, was jailed for at least 17 years.

"This was a barbaric and callous crime," said judge Brian Barker. "You are hard and unswerving men to whom apparently the respect from the community is more important that your own flesh and blood."

The young woman's agonising death was ordered by her Iraqi Kurd father and uncle after they discovered her affair with another Kurd, Rahmat Sulemani, 29.

Mahmod vanished in January 2006 and her body was found buried in a suitcase in a garden 100 miles (160 kilometres) away three months later.

According to prosecutors, Hama confessed that Banaz's ordeal lasted two hours and said she was subjected to rape and other degrading sexual acts before being garrotted.

Hama also said she took 30 minutes to die, adding that he had stamped on her neck to "let her soul out."

Sulemani said he had tried to commit suicide more than once. "She was the sweetest person in the world. She was my future. I cannot understand why anyone would hurt someone with the sweet personality that Banaz had," he said.

"Banaz and I were in love. My life very much depended on Banaz's life. We were going to get married and have children. We hoped for a girl and boy and had even chosen their names.

Mahmod had asked police for help four times previously, and had given detectives a list of five people she feared would harm her and Sulemani, the court heard.