Inquest for girl strangled in lorry
The coroner has recorded a verdict of unlawful killing over the death of 9 year old Stacey Lawrence - whose body was found in a Peterborough lay-by.
The little girl was strangled and sexually assaulted by her mother's boyfriend.
Her body was discovered on August 29th in the cab of a white Spar lorry parked in a lay-by on the A605 in Warmington just outside Peterborough.
She'd been on a delivery run across Norfolk with her mother's fiance Darren Walker, 40, as a "holiday treat." His body was found hanging from a tree in nearby woodland.
Police later confirmed that she'd been sexually assaulted, but there was no evidence of rape.
The inquest into the death of Walker last week heard the lorry driver previously told Stacey's mother Roxanne that if he ever did anything that would result in a prison sentence, he would rather kill himself.
In a statement read to the inquest, Ms Lawrence said she never had any concerns over Walker's relationship with her children.
She said: "I can't believe on that Friday morning Darren left our family home as the man I loved and by Saturday he was the man responsible for my nine-year-old daughter's death.
"I am shocked that the man I was intending to marry could have done this. I hate Darren for what he has done to me and my family."
A verdict of suicide was recorded for Walker. Stacey's inquest at Kettering Magistrates is ongoing.