Michael McCrea, 48, was accused of murdering the two Singaporeans, whose decomposed bodies were found in the boot of an abandoned car at a Singapore shopping centre in January 2002.

High Court Judge Choo Han Teck sentenced McCrea to 20 years on two charges of manslaughter and four years for destroying evidence.

McCrea and his girlfriend, Audrey Ong, were also found guilty of trying to hide evidence.

The wicker chest holding the man's body was spattered with candle wax, while the woman was found alongside withered roses. A romantic note and champagne glass were also in the car.

McCrea pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter.

"This is a crushing and excessively harsh sentence. We are terribly disappointed," McCrea's lawyer Kelvin Lim told reporters.

Lim said McCrea, father of four, would appeal the sentencing.

McCrea, who has an Australian wife, fled to London with Ong after the murders. Ong and McCrea were detained in Australia for suspected visa violations and arrested in June 2002.

He narrowly escaped the gallows when Singapore promised Australia in 2003 that it would not hang McCrea if he was extradited from Australia and convicted in Singapore.

Court documents showed that McCrea had strangled his driver during a fight in his plush apartment after a New Year's party. Kho had hit McCrea with a vase.

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