Multi-millionaire killer, Ian Workman, has been ordered to pay two of his sons more than £1.5 million after he murdered their mother.

In a unique case, Ben and Nicholas Workman said their father killed their mum, Susan, to get out of paying her half his fortune.

She was in the process of divorcing the successful car dealer and, had she lived, would have been entitled to an equal share of everything.

If Ian Workman had been allowed to keep the cash, he would have "profited" from killing their mother the brothers said.

Now three senior judges at the Court of Appeal have backed Ben, aged 27, Nicholas, aged 23, and Susan's sister, Carol Forrester.

The 63-year-old killer, who is serving life, was ordered to pay out £1,503,579, plus an estimated £500,000 in legal costs bills.

Workman had refused to co-operate with the legal process or obey court orders and had forfeited his right to defend himself, the judges ruled.

Said to have been worth about £3.3 million, Workman killed his 55-year-old wife following a row at the family home in Edgworth, Bolton.

He stabbed her through the heart with a large kitchen knife in April 2011 as they rowed about their divorce, in which she was claiming £1.5 million.

The Bolton News:

Susan Workman

But the cash stayed in Workman's coffers after he was convicted of her murder at Preston Crown Court in December 2011.

During his trial, Workman insisted he acted in self defence after his wife came at him with a kitchen knife.

But jurors disbelieved him and his conviction challenge was turned down by the Criminal Appeal Court in 2014.

The jury heard poignant extracts from Susan's diary - with the last entry penned just moments before the killing.

The log - titled "Sue's Memories" - recorded how her ex stormed into the house to retrieve his "clothes and jumpers".

Workman briefly stroked the family dog, the diary notes, but then launched a torrent of screaming expletives at Mrs Workman.

Her last unfinished line read simply, "standing, staring at me acro..."

After Workman's trial, Ben and Nicholas put their names to a family statement welcoming "this man"s conviction."

"Sue did not deserve to have her life ended this way for greed and money," they said.

Workman has always insisted that he didn't kill his wife for the money and accused Ben and Nicholas of treating him "unfairly and oppressively".

However, the brothers and Mrs Forrester, who sued on behalf of her dead sister's estate, were determined to stop him profiting from his crime.

Their lawyers said Workman "would have been ordered to pay his wife some £1.5m" had she not died before she could divorce him.

Judgment for £1,503,579 was entered against Workman in 2013 after he failed to comply with court asset freezing orders.

Stephen Killalea QC said he had made "no attempt at all" to reveal the true extent of his wealth and didn't deserve a chance to defend himself.

The court also heard that Workman had "voluntarily dissipated virtually all his assets" to his eldest son, Grant, 28, who had "stuck by him".

Workman's obstruction of the legal process had led to "horrendous delays" and caused "intense emotional strain" to Ben and Nicholas, he added.

Lord Justice McCombe said today that it was "well-known rule of law" that murderers must not profit from their crimes.

The brothers' claim was "admittedly novel", but they wanted to argue for an extension of the rule to cover Workman.

The judge, sitting with Ladies Justice Sharp and Thirlwall, ruled that Workman's obstinacy meant he had rightly been barred from defending the case.

The killer had his appeal dismissed and the stay of execution of the judgment against him was lifted.

"The sons and Mrs Forrester are now free to enforce this judgment", Lord Justice McCombe concluded.

Workman was ordered to pay £300,000 in legal costs on account within 21 days. His final costs bill is expected to top £500,000.