Double murderers Kenneth Burgess and Dennis Robinson will spend at least 15 years behind bars for killing the Cooper twins, a court ruled yesterday.

Rochelle Cooper, who was taken to hospital on Thursday after collapsing moments before the guilty verdicts were confirmed, danced out of the courtroom yesterday when she heard the fate of her sons? murderers.

She said she was ?happy, happy, happy? with the sentences but refused to comment further. The twins? sister, Tameya Davis also said she was pleased. ?I do not think they will get out after 15 years,? she added.

But other family members and friends said the prison terms for a crime that stunned Bermuda were not long enough.

One said the death penalty should have been reintroduced ? and imposed only after the pair had served their time inside.

The woman, who asked not to be named, added: ?Even if they apologise, they will never be forgiven. Nothing can bring those boys (the twins) home.?

Another relative said the sentences should have been consecutive ? meaning the defendants would serve a minimum of 30 years in Westgate, 15 years for each twin.

The trial heard how Burgess pummelled Jahmal and Jahmil to death with a metal baseball bat, before Robinson helped dump the bodies down a remote cliff.

Relatives of both defendants, who understands are both planning to launch appeals, declined to comment after yesterday?s hearing.

Burgess and Robinson, their smart suits worn during the month-long trial now exchanged for orange prison uniforms, stood stony-faced in the dock as the sentences were handed down.

When asked if he wanted to comment before they were passed, Burgess said: ?No. I have nothing to say.?

Robinson said he exercised his right to silence.

The atmosphere inside court was calmer than the tense, chaotic scenes that greeted the jury?s verdict the day before.

Prosecutors asked trial judge, Chief Justice Richard Ground, to use his discretion so Burgess could serve as long as 25 years. They did not call for more than 15 years for Robinson.

However, the judge indicated the law did not allow him to impose a sentence of more than 15 years for murder. He said that recommendations from all parties on possible release dates could be sent to parole officials at a later date.

Burgess and Robinson were both given double life sentences for murdering Jahmil and Jahmal Cooper last March. Each murder count carries a fixed minimum 15-year sentence before parole can even be considered.

The law does not allow the double terms to run one after the other in this specific case, and it is understood this is because the murders were committed on the same date and were directly linked. If they did run this way, that would mean the murderers would each serve 30 years behind bars.

The tariff for pre-meditated murder, not applicable in the Cooper twins? case, is 25 years.

John Perry QC, for Robinson, said that unlike in the UK, there was nothing in Bermuda law that allowed a judge to decide the length of a life sentence, depending on the severity of the crime.

Based on the evidence heard in the trial, he said Burgess? role in the twins? murder was more serious than that played by Robinson.

The trial heard how Robinson helped secure the flat while Burgess carried out an attack that sent blood flying onto walls, before helping dump the bodies down Abbot?s Cliff.

And Mr. Perry, who argued that Robinson should serve less than 15 years, said the court should be left to impose the sentence ? not Parliament. ?This puts Burgess and Robinson in the same category. The Crown has no power to raise the bar over 15 years. The criminality in both cases is not the same and each case must be looked at individually.

?Upping the bar for Burgess might up the bar for Robinson.?

Michael Smith, for Burgess, said that if the court was considering upping the mandatory 15-year term then sentencing should be adjourned for legal arguments. He said the court had no authority to do what the Prosecution was requesting.

Burgess? lawyer, Courtenay Griffiths QC, was not in court to hear his client?s fate. He caught a plane back to London last night and only just managed to hear Thursday?s verdict in the courtroom, just before 6 p.m. on Thursday, before dashing to the Airport.

Mr. Griffiths had to rush back for a sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey in the case of a city banker stabbed to death during a robbery at his home. The QC?s client was yesterday jailed for 18 years for manslaughter, wounding with intent and robbery.

After the sentencing hearing, Attorney General Larry Mussenden declined to comment when asked if 15 years was an appropriate sentence for Burgess and Robinson.

Shadow Attorney General Trevor Moniz said the Opposition would be keeping a close eye on the law regarding murder, and called for cross-party co-operation on the issue.