A double murderer jailed for life yesterday claimed breach of human rights, arguing that inmates serving the maximum term could not benefit from a remission.

Brian Vella had been found guilty by jurors of the murder of his neighbours – 79-year-old Gerald Grima and his 63-year-old wife Josephine – in Santa Luċija on February 10, 2000.

Their decomposed bodies were found at home a week afterwards. Dominic Bonnici was jailed for 30 years after he admitted taking part.

Testifying in the trial against Mr Vella, he said that they had barged into the Grimas’ apartment, bound and gagged them and ransacked the place. They stole about €460 worth of items.

The trial against Mr Vella ended in October 2007 and he was sentenced to life imprisonment. The conviction was confirmed on appeal in July 2011.

In a constitutional application against the Attorney General and the Prime Minister, Mr Vella argued his continuous detention without the possibility of release breached his fundamental human rights.

The fact that he would never be released or could not even apply for a conditional release was equivalent to inhuman treatment, lawyers Josè Herrera, Joseph Gatt and David Camilleri said.

They argued the legal system did not take into consideration the remorse of the prisoner and rehabilitation. This went against the principle of reparative justice, they added.

The lawyers asked the Constitutional Court to declare that the fact he had no right to remission was a breach of his human rights and so remedy the situation.