A member of the so-called IS “Beatles”, the group that filmed themselves beheading Western captives in Iraq and Syria, has been sentenced to life in prison.

El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, was convicted in the US in April of hostage-taking and conspiracy to murder.

The group killed British volunteers David Haines and Alan Henning, US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and American aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig, among others.

Hostages gave the group the Beatles nickname because of their English accents.

Elsheikh came to the UK as a child refugee from Sudan and lived in White City, west London. His British citizenship was revoked in 2018.

During the trial, the jury was told that Elsheikh “played a central role in a brutal hostage-taking scheme”.

He has been described as the main guard in the group, with hostages saying he conducted most of the torture.

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Another member of the group, Alexanda Kotey, also from London, was given a life sentence earlier this year.

Ringleader Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John, was killed in a US drone strike in Syria in 2015.

The fourth alleged “IS Beatle”, Aine Davis, was this month charged with terrorism offences when he arrived at Luton airport after being deported from Turkey.

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