A man who murdered his wife's Malaysian lover in a brutal honour killing has been sentenced to a maximum of 23 years' jail by a Sydney judge.

Justice David Davies of the Supreme Court in Sydney on Friday passed the sentence on Hazairin Iskandar, 58, for the murder of Melaka-born Mohd Shah Saemin, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported. Hazairin Iskandar was ordered to serve a minimum of 17 years in prison.

Mohd Shah died after he was attacked by Hazairin and his son, Andrew, outside Mohd Shah's Leichhardt flat in Sydney's inner west on the night of Feb 21, 2010.

Indonesian-born Hazairin stabbed Mohd Shah at least four times in the upper body with a knife, while his son struck him repeatedly with a hammer.

The court heard that Mohd Shah, a driver at the Malaysian consulate in Sydney, had been having an affair with Hazairin's wife, Nita, who also worked at the consulate.

Hazairin felt the affair had "brought shame on the family".

The crown alleged that he set out to kill Mohd Shah to protect the honour of his family in a "pre-planned, premeditated and executed killing".

"This was a vicious, prolonged, brutal attack where some of the worst acts of violence were perpetrated while the defendant lay on the ground, unable to defend himself," Justice Davies was quoted by AAP as saying.

Andrew was jailed for at least 18 years in March this year for the murder, while Nita was placed on a two-year good-behaviour bond for being an accessory after murder.

Nita, who was in court for the sentencing on Friday, wept after the sentence was handed down.

Justice Davies noted that Hazairin had shown genuine remorse for his actions and would be of an "advanced age" by the time he was eligible for parole.

The judge also said: "This was a brutal and, for the deceased, a terrifying slaying where he no doubt suffered considerably before he died."

Taking into account time already served, Hazairin will be eligible for parole in February 2027.

Andrew Iskandar will be eligible for parole in May 2028.