The family of a man who murdered his wife when she discovered he was having an affair with their daughter-in-law have given an emotional account of how the ordeal has affected them.

Mr Searle described the ordeal of having to organise his mother Anne’s funeral and the effect her murder had on his relationship with his two brothers, family and friends.

“I’ll never be able to hug my mum or hear her sweet Scottish voice ever again and that’s just awful and because of my dad.

“If my dad could have just admitted what he’d done and been honest, me and my family wouldn’t have had to endure the pain of a court case as well as the loss of my mum.

“Losing my mum has destroyed me. It’s killed me inside. I feel completely broken and it’s going to take a very long time to fix me, if I can ever be fixed,” he said.

“What happened has caused me absolute misery. I’ve become depressed and felt suicidal since my mum was killed.”

Mr Searle described turning to alcohol as a release and said he had become a “functioning alcoholic.”

“I didn’t want to end up like my mum and dad. I really hope I can fix myself before it’s too late . With the support of my wife, her family and my friendsI really hope I can fix myself.”

Mr Searle said his work had also been affected. “I’ve had to become a robot at work to get through the day, putting on a brave face and a front but inside I’m dying. This has left a huge void in my heart which is something I’ll probably never get over.”

“Not only have I lost my mum but because of what he’s done I’ve lost my dad too. I’ve got no-one to turn to turn to in my own family. Yes I have my wife and her family but I’ve lost all my side of the family.”

He described his anxiety as going “through the roof” since his mother’s death and said he had lost the motivation to train and go to the gym which he used to enjoy.