The mother of murdered Bradford teenager Rachel Barraclough today said she hopes her daughter's killer "rots in hell."

Hilary Barraclough said her family was horrified when they heard that 47-year-old Stephen Hughes is planning to appeal against his conviction after he was jailed in September.

Leeds Crown Court heard that churchgoer Rachel, 18, of Carr Bottom Road, Bankfoot, was lured to her death by Hughes, the father of her ex-boyfriend Carl.

Hughes, of Stanley Street, Wakefield, arranged to meet Rachel on the pretence he was helping her patch things up with his son. But he took her to an isolated area near the River Calder in Wakefield where he stabbed her and cut her throat.

Hughes repeatedly denied meeting Rachel on the night she was murdered in September last year, but he was caught on CCTV film with the 18-year-old just minutes before she was brutally murdered.

Sentencing Hughes to life, Mr Justice Holland branded him "wicked" and told him he had betrayed Rachel's trust.

But Hughes's wife Irene said her husband continues to insist he is innocent and that he plans to appeal. Mrs Hughes said she had lost four stone since her husband was charged with murder and still has not returned to work.

Rachel's mother, Hilary, 48, said: "Hughes is not innocent. He's been found guilty and all the video evidence shows that.

"The thought of him appealing makes us angry. I dread to think what will happen to him if he ever gets released. He needs to stay right where he is. I hope he rots in hell."

Mrs Barraclough said she also has not returned to work since the murder trial and is taking anti-depressants. She said: "Hughes's wife talks about how she is depressed. But she can still see her husband. He's still living and breathing. I will never see my daughter again."

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