A man who attempted to murder two young nurses at their home after 'fantasising about harming people' has been jailed for life.

Connah Smith, 20, repeatedly attacked and threatened to kill Megan Parson and Gabby Price after tricking his way into their home.

Sentencing this morning at Lewes Crown Court, Judge Shani Barnes jailed him for life with a minimum of 15 years.

She told him just before he was taken to the cells: "I hope that somewhere in the darkness of your mind there is someone in there that will be saved and will come back in the rest of your life."

Smith, of Vernon Terrace, Brighton, was convicted of attempted murder after a five-day trial during which jurors heard how he attacked the two trainee nurses at their house in Dean Street, Brighton, on March 29, holding them there until the early hours of March 30.

He stabbed them both, tried to drown Miss Parson in the bath and threw matches at the pair after dousing them in petrol.

Judge Barnes said he had subsequently told a psychiatrist how he had "fantasised about harming people, and had done for some time."

She added: "You told him that you had watched violent horror films and you noted that the person inflicting the harm seemed to be enjoying the experience."

She rejected Smith's claim to have chosen Gabby Price as his victim because she was "just an acquaintance", adding: "I do not believe that. You wanted Gabby Price and you were rejected by her."

The court heard the two women, now 21 and 22, suffered "persistent and long term pyschological effects" while Miss Parson needed surgery to repair damaged nerves on her face.

Smith gave little reaction as his sentence was given in front of his father, victims' families and the jurors who took less than two hours' deliberation to convict him yesterday.

Judge Barnes revealed he had feigned schizophrenia ahead of his trial in an attempt to escape responsibility, adding he was not mentally ill but did have "psychopathic tendencies."

Mitigating, Paul Mendelle QC said there were "concerns about this young man" from psychiatrists who had examined him, but stressed he was "a young man in the process of maturing."

Speaking after sentencing, Detective Inspector Mick Jones said: "I would like to thank the two victims for the courage they have shown during this trial. Their evidence has led to the conviction of Smith.

"He subjected them to an horrendous ordeal over a seven hour period which was like something out of a horror movie. Smith is an extremely dangerous individual, the level of the danger he poses having been reflected in the sentence he has received today."