A couple who murdered a man by almost hacking his head off while a 12-year-old girl watched have been jailed for life.

Saima Gul, 30, and Fazli Rahim, 41, were told at the High Court in Edinburgh they would have to serve at least 23 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole.

The pair murdered Mohammed Noor at a house in Pollok, Glasgow, in May 2012.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, watched as the pair attempted to use a knife to cut Mr Noor's head off.

Temporary judge Michael O'Grady QC said the murder was one of the worst cases he had ever encountered.

The pair were convicted after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow last month. Sentence had been deferred until this week in order for the court to obtain reports.

Passing sentence, Judge O'Grady said he could not guarantee that the two murderers would ever be released from prison. The judge also noted remarks in a report by social workers which had been commissioned by the court in a bid to understand the crime.

The report's author said they were not convinced Gul and Rahim were sorry for the brutal attack.

Gul and Rahim were convicted of murder following a 22-day trial.

At the first set of proceedings, the court heard from the girl who witnessed the crime. Giving evidence via video link, she told the court the killers were struggling with Mr Noor.

The youngster said she was then told to get a knife from the kitchen before being ordered to get a "bigger" blade.

Rahim took a shower to wash forensic evidence before fleeing to Belfast – he then left the girl and Gul to face the police.

The court heard that Gul lied to the police about what actually happened in a bid to protect her partner. Rahim claimed he acted in self defence.