Two men have been found guilty of killing retired businessman Mohammed Sabir Raja, at his south London home.

Robert Knapp and David Croke have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Mr Raja who was stabbed and shot at his home in Sutton on 2 July 1999.

On Friday, the six male and six female jurors told the judge they were unable to reach a verdict on whether property tycoon Nicholas van Hoogstraten ordered the killing.

David Croke: Guilty

After continuing their deliberations on Monday they found him guilty of manslaughter but cleared him of murder.

Croke, 59, from East Moulsecoomb, Brighton, and Knapp, 55, from Abbeyfeale, County Limerick, were given life jail terms.

Mr van Hoogstraten, of Framfield, near Uckfield, East Sussex, denied murdering Mr Raja.

During the trial, the jury was told Mr Raja had been taking civil court proceedings against the tycoon, alleging fraud.

Disguised

The jury convicted the Knapp and Croke unanimously on Friday, the seventh day of its deliberations.

Robert Knapp was also convicted

Knapp and Croke had turned up on Mr Raja's doorstep, pulled a sawn-off shotgun from a bag, stabbed him five times, then shot him at close range.

Mr Raja's grandsons were in the house at the time and ran downstairs to find him clutching his chest.

They said Knapp and Croke were disguised as gardeners, wearing floppy hats, boiler suits and gardening gloves.

Charge dropped

One was wearing a false moustache and carrying a gardening fork.

A charge of conspiracy to murder against Mr van Hoogstraten, 57, was dropped last week when the judge started his summing up of the case.

The judge had told the jury it had the option to deliver a verdict of manslaughter.

The prosecution said Mr van Hoogstraten could be guilty of murder even though he was not present when the offence was committed.