A local court convicted three Filipinos, including a woman, for killing a British national here two years ago, local media reported on Wednesday.

Corazon Donato, April Jay Juerzan and John Hanginan were found guilty of bludgeoning to death Philip Andrew Aitken before burying him in a shallow grave at the lawn of the victim's house in Lanang village.

Regional trial court judge Ridway Tanjili on Tuesday sentenced the three to 40 years in prison for the murder.

According to court records, Donato hired the two men to kill her former lover and robbed the 45-year old Briton his automated teller machine cards and jewelry as he was about to fetch his son to Donato and leave for Manila. A fourth suspect who turned state witness positively identified the three as behind the murder.

The court said the defendants' denial to the crime was weak, citing the testimony of their co-conspirators pinning them for the crime.

The court also ordered the three to pay the victim's kin 135 million pesos (three million dollars) as damages.