A year after the tragedy that destroyed his life, Graham Tinkley recalled the last time he saw his daughter alive and "thought nothing of it". Mum-of-three Clair Ablewhite paid a visit to her parents in Cropwell Bishop, in Nottinghamshire, on a Friday afternoon on February 25 last year.
Little did her parents know that later that night Clair would have been killed in a brutal murder by her ex. The tragedy has haunted her dad Mr Tinkley ever since, who struggles to sleep at night.
"The pain will never go away", the 75-year-old said a year after the murder. "She visited us earlier that day in the afternoon, before going to work.
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"How could I possibly think that it would be the last time we saw her alive? She seemed happy."
Brought up in Cropwell Bishop, Ms Ablewhite had married at the age of 19 and had spent most of her life working on the farm she shared with her husband. They had three boys together.
"She and her children had the best anyone could ever want from life", Mr Tinkley added. When the marriage ended, she moved out of the family home and set up a new life for herself in Colston Bassett.
"This was her new start. She wanted to move away and start a new life", the heartbroken dad added.
"She had friends, and she was popular in the village. We did not know that she was talking to someone."
But on February 26 last year, Mr Tinkley went to her daughter's home in Colston Bassett after concerns from friends and family. "I thought she was just having the day out. I got there and thought nothing of it."
Mr Tinkley had a spare key, so he made his way into the property after unlocking the door. Inside it was "pitch black", and he fell over a chair that was not placed in its usual spot.
"There was one light in the lounge area", said Mr Tinkley as he was describing the scene. "I saw a splash of blood on the door. And then I saw Clair in a pool of blood near the fire pit.
"Her eyes were black, her hair was blonde, matted - she looked like a scarecrow. That is when I panicked."
Mr Tinkley performed CPR and first aid, and said his face and hands were covered in blood as a result when the police arrived. "I had blood all over me", he added.
The shocking discovery triggered a police murder investigation which made national headlines and an inquiry which was blown open with CCTV footage obtained at the property of neighbour who was working abroad. Clair's killer John Jessop was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term set at 17 years and eight months at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday, January 4.
But Mr Tinkley believes that Jessop's sentence is too lenient. He said he has appealed against the sentence, and believes that her daughter's killer "should never walk the streets again".
He added: "I am not happy with that sentence. She had 16 wounds to her body. He is a monster."
It was found that Ms Ablewhite met Jessop on a dating website. After she ended their brief relationship, he set off on his bike to visit her at her Colston Bassett home.
Details of the brutal murder that unfolded afterwards were presented in court, as well as the CCTV footage captured by Clair's neighbour. "I did not see the footage before it was played in court. You can hear her screaming for two minutes," said Mr Tinkley.
He has nightmares and struggles to sleep - and the family have been dealt another heartbreaking blow after Ms Ablewhite's mum was diagnosed with cancer following the tragedy. He added: "I have never cried yet. All the pain is inside.
"I turned to drink. My wife smoked a lot of cigarettes, and she was fine in February, but she got worse with everything that happened with Clair. She had to have 20 percent of her lung removed, and she is now doing chemotherapy."
The devastated dad said: "I just feel terrible all the time. When I wake up I have panic attacks. I see the blood gushing through her throat. It never leaves you.
"The past year has been terrible - and our lives will never be any different now."
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