A 30-year-old man has been told he must serve a minimum of 32 years in prison for the "sickening" racist murder of an 81-year-old man as he walked to his mosque.

Dales Jones was jailed for life with a minimum tariff of 32 years at Sheffield Crown Court for the murder of pensioner Mushin Ahmed, South Yorkshire Police said.

Another 30-year-old man, Damien Hunt, was jailed for 14 years after he was found guilty of Mr Ahmed's manslaughter.

The pensioner was punched, kicked and stamped as he made his way to prayers at the mosque in Rotherham in the early hours of August 10 last year.

A jury heard that Jones flew into a "raging fury" following a day and evening of drinking and taking drugs and accused Mr Ahmed of being a "groomer".

Prosecutors said Jones had become agitated, violent and aggressive due to an issue concerning his partner's son's father.

He had left the home he shared with his partner on Norwood Street, Rotherham, at 10am the previous morning and spent the day and night drinking Sambuca and Southern Comfort, and taking cocaine and diazepam, the court heard.

Prosecutor Andrew Robertson QC said: "He had got himself into a raging fury. A rage fuelled by drugs and alcohol."

A short time before the fatal attack, Jones racially abused an Asian taxi driver, the jury was told.

Around 10 minutes later, Mr Ahmed emerged on to Doncaster Road.

Mr Robertson said: "Jones immediately accused him of being a groomer. No doubt his word for paedophile and no doubt an accusation made by Jones for no better reason than Mr Ahmed was Asian."

Mr Ahmed was found by a passer-by two hours after the attack and was taken to hospital, where he died 11 days later, on August 21.

He suffered extensive head and facial injuries and had the imprint of Jones's trainer across the front of his face.

Jones, of East Bawtry Road, Rotherham, was found guilty of murder last week. Hunt, of Doncaster Road, Rotherham, was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter on Monday.

Detective Chief Inspector Victoria Short said: "This brutal and unprovoked assault sent shockwaves through the local community, where Mr Ahmed was well-liked and highly regarded.

"His family and friends have been left absolutely devastated by his death yet they have conducted themselves admirably and with tremendous strength throughout our inquiry, which should be commended.

"Mr Ahmed suffered horrific injuries at the hands of Jones and Hunt. Jones in his anger stamped on Mr Ahmed's head so hard that we were able to recover a shoe print from his skin. This extreme violence is nothing short of sickening and highlights just how dangerous these individuals are."

The officer said: "Hunt and Jones have never given an explanation for their own vicious actions that evening, but the court heard how Mr Ahmed was assaulted because of the colour of his skin, a fact that is as disturbing as it is despicable.

"To cause harm to another human being because of their race, ethnicity, or religious belief is simply beyond reproach, I will never understand how anybody can treat another person in such a callous and inhumane manner."