A father has been sentenced for strangling his daughter to death in his caravan (trailer) and then attempting to murder her mother.
Richard Kray, 64, strangled his 19-year-old daughter Olivia at Westlands Caravan Park in Kent in July. He then tried to strangle his ex-wife Damyantee Cowan.
Kray, a mental health worker, told police he had “lost the plot” with his daughter, who had severe anxiety problems and a mixed personality disorder, according to reports.
The judge at Maidstone Crown Court handed Kray a 10-year prison term on Monday Feb. 5, which includes treatment in a specialist psychiatric unit.
He added, “My thoughts are with the family and I thank them for their support through this case.”
Kray admitted to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and attempted murder.
He also said to the officers, “We’ve had months and months and months of mental health problems with my daughter and Sheila and it just come to a head and I couldn’t stand it anymore and I just did it. I came round here as cold as you like to do it to her [Cowan] as well, and I couldn’t.”
The court heard that Kray had spoken to two people, including his sister, months before the attack, saying that it would be easier to kill them, as he saw no future.
At the sentencing, Judge Philip Statman said he had no doubt that Kray was devoted to Olivia and her needs and they loved one another, according to Kent Live.
But Statman added, Kray “snapped.” He described the case as “unique, terrible, and tragic.”
Speaking with the BBC, Beasley said, “The family are devastated, and as far as the sentence is concerned they don’t feel very happy about it.”
He added, “The judge believed this was a very unique case, and did struggle to give an appropriate sentence.”