LONDON - The parents of Joe Geeling, an 11-year-old boy with cystic fibrosis who was murdered by another schoolboy, said on Thursday the jail sentence given to their son's killer was too lenient.

Geeling was repeatedly beaten round the head and then stabbed to death by Michael Hamer, 15, who had lured the boy to his house in Bury in what police described as a "cold, premeditated and chilling" murder.

Hamer was jailed for life last month but the minimum term he must serve was set at 12 years.

"We do feel the judge missed the point," Geeling's father Tom said in his first interview since the verdict.

"If he's capable of this now, what is he going to be capable of when he's coming out of prison? It's not sour grapes. It's just we don't think 12 years stacks up."

Last week the Crown Prosecution Service said it had asked the Attorney General to consider referring the case to the appeal court because of concerns about the sentence which police also believe was "unduly lenient".

Hamer had attacked Geeling to stop his victim revealing he had made a sexual advance on him and then took his body in a wheelie bin to a nearby park where he dumped it.

"Joe was kidnapped and abducted. That's bad enough," Tom Geeling said.

"He was held in that house against his will. He was murdered and his body was treated like a piece of garbage. He was disposed of and then that lad went to school as though nothing had happened.

"We feel he is much smarter than people give him credit for."

The Geelings said they were unsure they could ever forgive Hamer, saying his actions were premeditated by picking on a "flyweight lad" he could bully.

"You can never say never but there has been no sign of remorse from Hamer," Tom Geeling said.

His wife Gwen added: "Hamer's mum has not been in touch. Hamer has lied so many times all the way through, how could you believe what he has to say now?"