A sailor who murdered an officer on board a nuclear submarine has been jailed for a minimum 25 years.
Able Seaman Ryan Samuel Donovan, 23, admitted murdering father-of-four Lieutenant Commander Ian Molyneux, 36, with an SA80 rifle while HMS Astute was docked in Southampton on April 8.
Donovan fired the gun six times in the control room of the sub, aiming at four named victims and killing weapons engineer officer Lt Cdr Molyneux.
Appearing at Winchester Crown Court, he also admitted the attempted murders of Petty Officer Christopher Brown, 36, Chief Petty Officer David McCoy, 37, and Lieutenant Commander Christopher Hodge, 45, during a goodwill visit to Southampton.
Mr Justice Field called the shootings a "murderous onslaught". He said it had been a "miracle" he had not killed the two petty officers, which he had intended to do before Lt Cdr Molyneux came from the control room to investigate.
"You backed away and, undeterred by the danger confronting him, Lt Cdr Molyneux moved forward to apprehend you and you shot him in the side of his head," the judge said. "In killing that officer, you robbed him of a bright future within a loving family."
The consequences for his wife Gillian and his four children are immeasurable. "I have read the victim impact statement - the loss will be crushingly hard to bear.
"Your murderous onslaught was only brought to an end by the intervention of two civilians. There is no doubt their intervention prevented further deaths and serious injury."
He described the offences as "premeditated, planned and an outrageous breach of trust".
But he gave Donovan, of Hillside Road, Dartford, Kent, credit for his early plea, age and remorse.