A ROBBER who killed a Suffolk barmaid by repeatedly stamping on her head during an armed raid on a pub must serve a minimum of 17 years behind bars.Damien Duberry, then 21, was given two life sentences in October 2001 after being convicted of robbery and the murder of 38-year-old Janet Fleming, who died during a raid of Harley's Pub, in Ipswich.

A ROBBER who killed a Suffolk barmaid by repeatedly stamping on her head during an armed raid on a pub must serve a minimum of 17 years behind bars.

Damien Duberry, then 21, was given two life sentences in October 2001 after being convicted of robbery and the murder of 38-year-old Janet Fleming, who died during a raid of Harley's Pub, in Ipswich.

His accomplice, Leon Sobers, then 23, was also convicted of murder and robbery and sentenced to two life sentences following a two-week trial in Norwich Crown Court.

At London's Royal Courts of Justice yesterday , top judge Mr Justice Moses ruled Duberry must serve a minimum “tariff” of 17 years in prison and Sobers a minimum of 11 years.

Even after those tariffs expire, the pair, who were both from Ipswich, will only be released if the Parole Board considers they pose no threat to the public. They will remain on “life licence” for the rest of their lives, subject to recall to prison if they put a foot wrong.

Mr Justice Moses, who also presided at the pair's trial, told Duberry at the time: “You stamped upon her five times and then jumped on her head, killing her.

“Such violence needs no words of description or condemnation from the court. Your acts speak for themselves.”

Ms Fleming suffered fatal head injuries in the attack outside the pub, which was in Stoke Park Drive, and died less than two days after.

She had just finished a shift on December 10, 2000, and police believe she returned to the pub after hearing the commotion.

Her temporary landlord Andrew Hull suffered head injuries after being pistol-whipped during the robbery.

Ms Fleming, a single mother, was then attacked before they escaped with £2,845, which they used to buy crack cocaine.

Sobers had not taken part in the attack on Ms Fleming, but the jury decided he shared responsibility for her death.

Both Duberry and Sobers spent just over eight months on remand before being sentenced and that will be deducted from the “tariffs” they must serve before they can apply to the Parole Board.

Shaun de Silva, chairman of Pubwatch in Ipswich and landlord of the town's Brewer's Arms, said the pair should have been given longer minimum sentences for the “heinous” crime.

He said: “When I think back about it, it was a horrendous thing to happen to somebody in this trade.

“Is eleven years sufficient for that? I don't think so. It was a particularly heinous crime, I thought, on an innocent person who was just doing her job. I would have liked it to be more like a 20 year minimum sentence.

“I think it was the worst incident ever seen, as far as violence caused to staff, owners and landlords is concerned.

“On the whole Ipswich is a very safe area for crime towards public outlets. I have been here for 20 years now and I have heard a lot of things about Ipswich and licensed premised over those 20 years and this incident is definitely against the norm. It was a one-off situation.”

Mr De Silva said the incident had sparked pubs in the area to “beef-up” their security and there were also time-locked safes and notices informing potential criminals of this. He said since Ms Fleming's murder he had personally ensured none of his female staff were left alone in the pub.