MADURAI: The Fourth Additional District Court in Tirunelveli on Tuesday convicted ten persons in a murder case and sentenced each of the accused to undergo life imprisonment.

According to the prosecution, J Regan (22) of Koothankuzhi near Kudankulam of Tirunelveli district was brutally murdered by an armed gang after enmity developed between the victim and A Ganesan (40) of the same locality following a cricket match, which was held in 2007.

Earlier, when enmity between Regan and Ganesan grew, the former, along with his friends, attacked the latter. Kudankulam police filed a case.

As summoned by the police, Regan and his friends were directed to put their signatures at the police station daily. On the fateful day when Regan, along with his friends, was returning from the station on January 22 in 2008, the gang on a bike intercepted them at Vijayapathi, hurled country bombs at him and hacked Regan to death. A total of 19 persons were booked in the case and were arrested. During the trial, three of them died.

Judge A Robinson George, after examining the witnesses, found ten of the accused guilty of murder and the rest of them were acquitted. Besides, a fine of Rs 1,000 was also imposed on each of them.

Those convicted are Gandhi alias Rajendran alias Siluvai Antony (68), Ganesan alias Ganesh (40), Silambarasan alias Simbu (39), John Paul alias Jesuvadiyan Paul (42), Vinoth alias Vinoth (42), Sanjay alias Arul Sahayaraj (44), Anton (41), James (39), Michael (43) and Anthony Michael (39), sources said.