THE family of murdered pensioner Irene Barrett say they cannot forgive the man who killed her.

Daniel Franklin, 34, of Abbey Wood, South East London, was convicted today of killing the 88-year-old, who he had known since he was a small boy.

He was jailed for at least 32 years.

Following the jury's guilty verdict, Irene's two grand daughters, Lisa Reid and Karen Burgess, both teachers, spoke of their relief.

Ms Reid, from Sussex, said: "I am happy he has been brought to justice, but I’m still so sad that we are in this situation. The guilty verdict won't do anything to bring her back. The pain never goes away.

"What happened is just so senseless. I feel anger and despair. I just don’t understand how anyone could do that to somebody so loving and caring."

The mum-of-two said: “It was such a huge betrayal of trust. He was a regular visitor to her house and he used to clean her windows. She knew him and she trusted him.

"She did have some suspicions that he had been stealing from her, but she gave him the benefit of the doubt.

“That’s what she was like, she was very trusting. She loved people and she always saw the good in them.” News Shopper: Irene's two grand daughters cannot forgive her killer

Her sister, who lives in Norfolk, said she still had nightmares about the brutal way in which her grandmother, known to friends as Reenie, was killed.

She said: “I still feel shock and have sleepless nights. Having her missing at family events like Christmas is so hard. Coming to terms with what has happened has been horrible for all the family.

"I haven’t got to the point of considering forgiveness. It’s just too raw."

Ms Burgess said her grandmother had remained active in the community despite being housebound.

She said: “She was very caring. She would knit squares and make them into blankets for babies and local dog kennels.

"She was also heavily involved in anything to do with Valiant House, the block of flats where she lived. She had been there a long time and loved the people in that place."

After the trial Detective Inspector Cliff Lyons of the Met Police said: "I will never forget what I saw that morning in May. It was a violent attack on an elderly woman from a man who had clearly betrayed her trust.”