By Jack Doyle PUBLISHED: 17:45 EST, 6 November 2013 | UPDATED: 17:46 EST, 6 November 2013 Triple-killer: Ian McLoughlin, 55, was given a 40-year jail term for murder A judge who refused to give a triple killer a whole life sentence because of a European human rights ruling was wrong, the  Government’s most senior law officer ruled yesterday. Mr Justice Sweeney had said last month that it was ‘not appropriate’ to sentence Ian McLoughlin to die behind bars because Strasbourg judges had ruled such terms were a breach of human rights. But yesterday the Attorney General, Dominic Grieve, declared the 40-year jail term to be too soft, and referred the case back to the Court of Appeal.
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Ian McLoughlin, 55, was not given a life sentence for third killing
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Strasbourg judges rule sentence to die in prison breaches human rights
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Attorney General deems sentence 'unduly lenient' and send it for review
Three @placeholder judges will consider the case within weeks and could increase the sentence if they agree with Mr Grieve.