The man who was found guilty of murdering a 22-year-old woman and her 17-month-old daughter had his life sentence confirmed on appeal after the presiding judges deemed the first sentence to be fair.

Alfred Azzopardi, 49, from Zejtun, was found guilty on 15 December 2005 of the murder of Vanessa and Ailey Grech by eight votes to one. He was also unanimously found guilty of hiding the victims’ bodies and possessing a knife during the killings.

The victims were both stabbed to death on 12 November 2001 and their bodies found hidden in a well in the yard of a Birzebbuga flat two days later.

He appealed the judgment claiming that there was not enough evidence for the jury to find him guilty, that during his summing up, the presiding judge gave an erroneous interpretation of the law which could have influenced the jurors’ verdict and the punishment imposed was harsher than that prescribed by the law.

The Court of Criminal Appeal upheld the Criminal Court’s judgement. It said that the case involved the hideous and macabre death of a young woman and her baby which occurred because of Azzopardi’s savage behaviour. The court said anyone responsible for such acts must receive an adequately harsh punishment.

Chief Justice Vincent De Gaetano, Mr Justice David Scicluna and Mr Justice Joseph Micallef presided over the court.