FOUR jihadi militants have been sentenced to life in prison in Tunisia for their role in a terrorist attack which killed a University of Worcester student.

Joel Richards, 19, who was studying sports science at the University of Worcester, was among 38 people killed by rampaging gunman Seifeddine Rezgui at the five-star Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel in June 2015.

Mr Richards’ grandfather Charles Evan, 78, and uncle Adrian Evans, 49, were also amongst those killed.

Of the seven jihadists sentenced, three were given life sentences for homicide for the first attack in March 2015 at the Tunis’ Bardo Museum, in which two gunmen killed 21 foreign tourists and a Tunisian security guard.

Four were given life sentences for the shooting rampage at a Sousse tourist resort in June 2015 and other defendants were sentenced to between six and 16 years.

Prosecutors said they planned to launch appeals in both cases.

Speaking to MailOnline, Joel’s mother Suzanne Richards said: “Nothing will compensate our loss. I just hope lessons will have been learned from this atrocity.

“So many people have been affected by this and so many families have been destroyed.

“Nothing will ever put it right. We still struggle [four years on]. The grief never goes away. It lives with you, it becomes part of your life, you miss them every day.

“Time doesn't heal - you just miss them even more. I recently lost my mum as well - I have lost four now since the attack.”