A Belgian woman has been jailed for 30 years for killing her love rival by sabotaging her parachute.

Els Clottemans, 26, joined 38-year-old Els Van Doren on a skydive with their mutual lover and another man in November 2006.

Prosecutors said Clottemans, a primary school teacher, cut key parts of Van Doren's chute the weekend before the jump to remove her rival and to have Dutchman Marcel Somers for herself.

Van Doren plunged to her death after both her main and reserve parachutes failed to open. The mother-of-two crashed into a back garden from 15,000 feet.

Judge Michel Jordens gave Clottemans a 30-year sentence, meaning she will serve a minimum of ten years in jail. Prosecutor Patrick Boyen had earlier called for a life sentence, after describing the killer as a psychopath and warning she could kill again.

Interest in the case in Belgium has been so great that a live television feed was laid on in the courthouse.