Prosecutor Michael Bowes QC read out victim impact statements from Denise and Caitlin.

In her statement Caitlin wrote: “On Tuesday November 12th, my life as I had known it changed forever.

“I used to have nightmares and flashbacks reminding me of the events of the 12th of November. I also don’t like going into bathrooms. I used to think that someone might be waiting for me. Now I just hold a fear of what’s behind the bathroom door.

“It was several years before I accepted the help of a child psychologist to help me cope with what happened that day.

She wrote: “Mum was a kind, caring and independent lady who always had a soft spot for the neglected animals that other people didn’t want. She also loved talking to anyone, which as a child was embarrassing but I now realise is a great, warm quality and it is also a trait I seem to have picked up. She was beautiful, fun and quirky and had an excellent sense of humour.”

“She had a passion for life and wanted to instil this in Terry and myself. This has all been taken away from my brother and I, as well as mum’s family and friends and all the people who never even got the chance to meet her. Most of all they have taken the wonderful person that was my mum away from our world. If everyone has the right to life, then no person has the right to harm another or cause death.

“I feel it is my responsibility to attend the trial and hear all the evidence from an adult perspective and to hold my own informed opinion. I have until recently been employed in a temporary job, so that I was able to leave at short notice to allow me to attend the trial for the full time. I feel that I am a strong person but nevertheless, there have been times when I have found it hard not to break down.

“I came here to seek and see through justice for my mum, Heather Barnett, and feel that justice must be served.”