Australian given 21 years jail for Facebook murder

SYDNEY (AFP) - A man who befriended a teenage Australian girl on the social media site Facebook before luring her to a secluded spot and killing her was imprisoned for at least 21 years on Friday.

Christopher Dannevig, now 22, pleaded guilty to the May 2010 killing of 18-year-old Nona Belomesoff after grooming her online under a false identity.

"The offender pursued a strategy involving deception and lies in order to engage and meet with the deceased and lure her to the area in which the offence occurred," Justice Peter Hall said in sentencing.

Knowing she had a love of animals from her Facebook page, Dannevig pretended to work for a wildlife rescue group and led the teenager, who met him several times before her death, to believe he could help her find work.