Rosie Darbyshire's family speak as her murderer Ben Topping is sentenced

These were the emotional words of Alice Hodgson, sister of tragic mum Rosie Darbyshire.

Speaking as her killer begins a life sentence for her murder, she paid tribute to her.

She said: "The outpouring of love and the memories people have shared with us have highlighted the colossal impact Rosie had on everyone's lives.

"She really was so beautiful."

She revealed the family had had to tackle challenging occasions together since Rosie's death.

She added "We have already had to face difficult milestones, including Rosie's son's birthday and his first Mother's Day without her, and we know that time will not heal or make this any easier to comprehend.

"It simply should not have happened.

"We are now forced to adjust to a different life but we will ensure that Rosie's beautiful soul is never forgotten."

Reacting to Topping's guilty plea they said: " We were hopeful today for a guilty plea and are relieved that we do not have to go through the further pain of re-living Rosie’s brutal death through a trial.

"However, we will never be given the answers to the questions that plague us.

"Nothing will offer us any understanding as to why that monster chose to rip Rosie’s life away and completely remove her son from the innocence he should be entitled to as a child.

" Despite our living nightmare, we cannot fault the efforts of the police in their investigation and their treatment of Rosie’s case."