THE knife thug who stabbed Rob Knox to death outside a Sidcup bar has been given a life sentence today.

Karl Bishop grinned as he was told he must spend at least 20 years behind bars for killing the Harry Potter actor.

Mr Knox's parents, younger brother Jamie and friends including Charlie Grimley, also wounded in Bishop's attack, listened as Judge David Bean issued the sentence.

The court had heard how Bishop had taken two knives from his kitchen after a fight outside the Metro Bar, Station Road, Sidcup, on May 23 last year.

Judge Bean said: "I have no doubt that you armed yourself in this way with your mind on revenge."

Bishop returned to the bar, daring people to fight him.

The judge said: "Because you had threatened his younger brother Rob Knox was among those who tried to disarm you.

"He paid for his bravery with his life."

Bishop also stabbed four of Mr Knox's friends, including 22-year-old Dean Saunders.

Judge Bean said: "There is clear evidence you simply walked up to him and slashed his neck with a knife. He will never walk normally again."

The judge added: "I do not think it is proved that you intended to kill Robert Knox. The truth is that you simply could not care less whether you killed him or not.

"The same goes for Dean Saunders who was lucky to survive. And when you learned that you had killed Rob your only response was to say "Yeah, sweet".

"Your lack of regret, let alone remorse, was truly chilling."

He said: "The death of Rob has been a devastating loss to his parents, his brother and his many friends. Their lives will be damaged forever.

"It is a terrible thing for any parents to have to bury their own child - all the more so when their child's death was caused so viciously and so pointlessly."

Judge Bean added: "I pay tribute to Mr and Mrs Knox, who have sat through the whole trial and endured with great dignity what must have been the agony of hearing many days of detailed evidence about how their son died.

"Their statements read yesterday indicate that they intend to campaign against knife crime and bring home to the wider public the lessons to be learned from this tragic case. I wish them well in that campaign."

Bishop was also given a two year sentence for wounding with intent against Mr Knox’s friends, Charlie Grimley and Nicky Lee Jones, five years for wounding Dean Saunders with intent and two years for wounding.

All these will run concurrently.

He had denied stabbing the 18-year-old five times outside the Metro Bar on May 24 last year, but was convicted at the Old Bailey yesterday (March 4).

As well as finding him guilty of murder, the jury also convicted him of wounding with intent Dean Saunders, Nicky Lee Jones and Charlie Grimley.

Bishop was cleared of wounding Andrew Dormer with intent, but found guilty of malicious wounding.

The jury returned majority verdicts against Bishop on the charges relating to Mr Jones, Mr Grimley and Mr Dormer.

He was cleared of wounding Tom Hopkins with intent.

Twenty-two-year-old Bishop, of Carlton Road, Sidcup, had denied all the charges.

Speaking after the guilty verdict, Rob Knox's father Colin said: "We are enormously relieved that justice has been done although there is nothing that can compensate for the shattering sense of loss we are all sharing.

"Bishop now has to serve his sentence. This in no way is a balance.

"We have lost our son, our friend, and we will never be able to hold him and speak to him again."

Mr Knox's mother Sally said: "We would like to remember Rob for the wonderful, loving boy that he was.

"We will work towards making sure he did not die in vain by continuing our fight against knife crime."

Detective Chief Inspector Damian Allan said: "This was a tragic case of a life cut far too short.

"Rob Knox was a talented, popular young man with a promising acting career ahead of him.

"Karl Bishop, conversely, was a violent man with previous convictions for using knives who deliberately armed himself with two knives before going back to the bar and carrying out a vicious and unnecessary attack."

"I'd like to pay tribute to the dignified way that Rob's parents Colin and Sally have conducted themselves throughout the investigation and trial despite the pain of their loss."