Two men jailed for brutally murdering a Chatham grandmother by dumping her into a shop basement have had their sentences slashed on appeal.

The body of 69-year-old Harjit Chaggar was discovered in the Sani Globe food store 12 days after she went missing in September 2013.

She had been attacked and, still alive, her body thrown more than six feet down into the cellar, causing devastating spinal injuries.

In May last year, Murshed Miah, 29, and Mohammed Islam, 30, were convicted of murder and sentenced to at least 25 years' jail each.

But today, senior judges ruled the terms too tough and slashed Miah's to 22 years and Islam's to 23 years.

Lord Justice Davis said that, despite the "shocking nature" of the killing, the pair's sentences were "excessive".

"This seemingly didn't start out as a premeditated joint enterprise to murder," he said.

"The murder itself was the consequence of the covering up of the initial assault.

"Overall, we have come to the conclusion that this sentence was too long."

The court heard CCTV footage showed Mrs Chaggar in the shop and being beckoned into a lower area by Islam, of Windmill Road, Gillingham.

That was the last time she was seen alive and, despite a major hunt, her body was not found until more than a week later.

A "major contributing factor" to her death was spinal injuries sustained when she was dropped through the hatch into the shop's basement.

The jury at the Canterbury Crown Court trial concluded that both Islam and Miah, of Wheeler Street, Maidstone, had been involved in that.

At the Court of Appeal in London today, lawyers for Miah argued that his murder conviction should be overturned, but saw their case rejected by the judges.

But the judges accepted that both men had been too harshly punished and that Miah's term should be shorter, as it was Islam who was seen beckoning Mrs Chaggar in.

Miah's appeal against conviction was refused. His minimum term was cut to 22 years and Islam's to 23 years.

A third man, Rasad Miah, 28, of Otway Street, Chatham, who was convicted with them of preventing lawful burial, had his appeals against conviction and his five-year sentence refused.

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