Bank heir killer jailed for life

Jakob was lured to his death in Gaefgen's flat

A German law student who kidnapped and murdered an 11-year-old banking heir has been jailed for life.

Mangus Gaefgen, 28, lured Jakob von Metzler to his flat last September, killed him and demanded a million-euro ransom from his wealthy banking family.

Jakob died when his mouth and nose were taped shut, Gaefgen told the Frankfurt court.

The boy's body was wrapped in plastic bags and hidden under a dock beside a lake near Frankfurt.

A boy had to die because the defendant wanted a moneyed life Judge Hans Bachl

Gaefgen, who admitted killing his hostage, was arrested after picking up the ransom.

His lawyer, Ulrich Endres, had asked for his client to be eligible for parole after 15 years.

But prosecutors argued that the crime was so serious that parole should not be considered for 18 years, and the court agreed.

"A boy had to die because the defendant wanted a moneyed life," Judge Hans Bachl said.

Confession inadmissible

Police treatment of Gaefgen while in custody has provoked controversy.

Jakob's family paid a million-euro ransom

Officers threatened the suspect with "intense pain" during early questioning.

They have said the tactic was justified as they believed at the time that Jakob might still be alive.

But when the trial opened in April Judge Bachl ruled that a confession obtained during illegal questioning was inadmissible.

"[Police] actions had nothing to do with the defendant's guilt, that he alone brought upon himself," he said on Monday.

The officer who led the inquiry, Wolfgang Daschner, is under investigation by Frankfurt prosecutors and could face charges of unconstitutional activity.

And Gaefgen's lawyer has said he will challenge the sentence in the constitutional court on the grounds that police tactics should be taken into account.

The Metzler Bank was founded 325 years ago. Jakob's father, Friedrich von Metzler, belongs to the 11th generation of the family to run the business.

It now has offices in Munich, Stuttgart, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Tokyo and Dublin.