Triple killer, multi-millionaire rapist and 'Brixton R Kelly' among 42 notorious criminals jailed in the UK in December

A double-killer who committed his third murder while on licence and an extremist who planned a terror attack at London's Hyde Park were among the worst offenders sent to jail in the UK in the final month of last year.

Other criminals facing lengthy jail terms include rapist multi-millionaire tech entrepreneur Lawrence Jones and a sex offender who raped a sleeping woman on the London Underground.

A nurse who drugged patients at a Blackpool hospital for an 'easy shift' and a teenage serial rapist dubbed the 'Brixton R Kelly' were also locked up in December.

READ MORE: Shocking moment man is stabbed in neck during unprovoked attack in busy pub

Read more court stories from the Manchester Evening News here.

Lengthy sentences are handed to some of the worst offenders each month. These are some of the most shocking court cases that have been widely reported in the UK in recent weeks.

Christopher Elgifari murdered a delivery driver by running him over with his stolen van. Mark Lang, 54, suffered fatal injuries when he was dragged hundreds of metres by his vehicle while trying to stop the 31-year-old thief from getting away.

Mr Lang, of Cyncoed, had parked in Laytonia Avenue in the Cathays area of Cardiff at about 12.40pm on March 28 this year, a court heard. The father-of-two was stood at the door of a house to deliver a parcel when Elgifari jumped in the van, which had been left unlocked with the key in the ignition.

Elgifari drove off at speed and turned the van around at the end of the street, hitting a garden wall, before driving back and hitting Mr Lang, who was in the middle of the road. He drove the van for more than 700 metres with Mr Lang, who was initially pinned to the bonnet before sliding down under the van,