THE mother of James Attfield has spoken of her relief after hearing her son’s killer’s sentence will not be reduced.

Julie Finch, of Coggeshall, was in court to hear the appeal decision yesterday after travelling to London to hear it in person.

James Fairweather, 17, appealed against a 27-year minimum sentence handed to him in April for the murders of father-of-five, Mr Attfield, and University of Essex student, Nahid Almanea, two years ago.

Fairweather was just 15 when he carried out the attacks.

Mrs Finch praised the court for coming to its decision, although she said she had been nervous beforehand.

Mrs Finch said: “It was such a relief to hear it said that his appeal wouldn’t be upheld.

“We can now draw a line under everything.

“Being honest, although we expected an appeal, we were a little bit worried about it.

“But we have always had faith in our justice system and now we can actually start focusing on our grief of losing Jim.

“Until now, with the arrest, the trial, the outcome, the sentence, it has always been on the backburner but now we can concentrate on remembering Jim and he [Fairweather] will be where he belongs.”

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Worron, head of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said it was a relief for the families of those affected that Fairweather would not be having his sentence cut.

He said: “The actions of James Fairweather devastated two families who lost their loved ones in horrific circumstances.

“No sentence will ever bring James and Nahid back and it will not stop their families from grieving every day.

“After they were killed I gave an undertaking that Essex Police would do everything we could to find their killer and bring them to justice.

“We did that.”