THE father of two children murdered in a firebomb attack said their killers should spend the rest of their lives in jail.

Mohammed Khan lost his nine-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son in the arson attack at their home in Magdalen Road, East Oxford, in 1997.

Today, a High Court judge ruled that four men found guilty of their murders must serve a combined total of at least 69 years.

Mr Khan said: "They should be in prison for life. They are very nasty people. This has brought the memories back to us - our life is finished.

"They should not be let out because they are dangerous people."

Alan Swanton, 28, Haq Nawaz, 40, Mohammed Nawaz, 31, and Thomas Liedl, 28, were convicted of murdering Anum Khan and her brother Majid after an eight-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

Anum died in the fire on August 26, 1997, after petrol was squirted through the letterbox and then set alight. Her brother died two days later from burns.

All four men were given life sentences after being found guilty of murder in November, 1998.

Haroon Sharif, 21, of Morrell Avenue, Oxford, was also found guilty of murder by a jury majority of ten to two.

At London's High Court today, Sharif's case was not dealt with, but Mr Justice Wilkie reviewed the case of the other four defendants and set their tariffs.

This is the minimum period they must serve behind bars before they can seek parole.

Swanton, of Southern Way, Letchworth, Herts, got 15 years, Liedl, of Birdshill, Letchworth, got 15 years, Mohammed Nawaz, of Ridge Road, Letchworth, got 17 years, and Haq Nawaz, also of Ridge Road, got 22 years.

The time all four spent on remand before they were sentenced will be taken into account, and when the four have served their "minimum terms", they will be eligible for release, but only if they can convince the Parole Board they are no longer a danger to the public.

Even if they are freed, they will remain on perpetual "life licence" and will face recall to prison if they commit a minor offence.

Mr Justice Wilkie said the trial judge described the murder as "cold-blooded, calculated and carefully organised".

Up to six people, including the four who challenged their tariffs, waited until the early hours when all the lights were out before launching their lethal attack.

When the house was in darkness, Liedl and Swanton squirted up to a pint of petrol into the house and set fire to it. Six people were in the house at the time.

Amjad Ali Khan, 33, brother of Anum and Majid, said: "The sentences are way too little.

"It is a joke."