I can no longer be a dad, says husband of murdered teacher

• Boy, 16, admits murder of Leeds teacher Ann Maguire

In victim impact statements read out to the court, the true extent of the pain felt by the teacher’s family was clear.

Husband Don said he felt he could “no longer be a dad” to his daughters, Kerry and Emma, after the murder of his wife.

He said: “I’m still a dad but cannot help my children understand, cannot help them come to terms, cannot help them lessen the pain. Mummy would have been so much better. I can no longer be a dad.”

Mr Maguire described the dreams he had of living in a rural backwater with his “beautiful, vivacious, generous, caring” wife.

“Now all our dreams have gone forever,” he said.

Daughter Kerry said the murder had robbed her of her mother, and her future children of a grandmother.

In her statement, she said: “Mummy was a constant. Her love was boundless and her heart was open. She was a beacon of light, guiding and protecting me through my life.”

Mrs Maguire’s other daughter Emma said: “Every morning, I wake up and I pray that this is all a bad dream, just a split second of hope which quickly vanishes and the horror of the reality sets in.”

Her statement added: “She gave us so much love, I never felt alone in life, I had my mummy.”