THE family of murdered Mary Griffiths, who were in court to see her killer John McFarlane jailed today, have called him "the devil incarnate".

THE family of murdered Mary Griffiths, who were in court to see her killer John McFarlane jailed today, have called him “the devil incarnate”.

In a statement, the family said: “Today my family and I came to court to see the evil murderer John McFarlane brought to justice for taking away the life of our beloved angel, Mary Frances.

“We stand here with heavy hearts, praying that John McFarlane will never be able to walk the streets again; however, the punishment which was bestowed upon him today will never be harsh or severe enough to compensate for the loss of Mary's life.

“Mary was the most beautiful person I've ever known; she was a dedicated mother to her three daughters and always strived to do her very best for her girls.

“She was a daughter to be proud of in every way and a sister to look up to. She was a true and genuine friend with the biggest heart. “When Mary walked into a room, she instantly lit it up, her sparkling eyes and beaming smile was always so infectious and warm.

“In the early hours of 6th May 2009, John McFarlane brutally murdered a defenceless, young mother.

“He is in our eyes the devil incarnate; the pain he inflicted on Mary that night and the terror she and her children experienced is what nightmares are made of. We will forever be haunted by the thoughts of how he made Mary suffer in her last hours of life.

“Mary's three daughters now have to grow up without their mother and we have to live without our daughter and sister. This is all at the evil hands of John McFarlane.

“The past six months have been a living hell for all of us; none of our lives will ever be the same again.

“We would like to extend our thanks to all involved in getting justice for Mary, particularly Detective Chief Inspector Rick Munns and his team for all their efforts in ensuring we got justice for Mary.

“We are still awaiting a decision from the investigation being carried out by the IPCC as to why the police did not respond to Mary's call for help the day before she was murdered.

“We are still in a state of disbelief that this has happened to our precious girl, we would therefore like to thank you for allowing us this time to grieve.”