“I see other mothers happily playing with their children everyday but I have to visit my baby at her grave,” said the mother of Roxie Archer today after her killer was jailed.
Roxie’s distraught mum Sophie Archer launched a scathing attack on her daughter’s killer, after he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Ben Raftery, 21, must now serve a minimum of 18 years behind bars after he was found guilty of beating the 23-month-old baby to death.
Roxie’s mother, who was in New York and away from her daughter for the first time when she was killed, says what Raftery did has torn her world apart.
“He has destroyed my life and I will never get over what he has done. I am not and never will be the happy and bubbly person I was before,” she said
“He told me he loved me and Roxie but he has killed her and taken away what I cherished most. He has torn my world apart.”
Roxie died from ‘devastating’ brain injuries at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital at 8.15pm on Sunday March 11 last year.
Following today’s verdict, Sophie spoke out about her daughter, who she says was loved by everyone she knew and met.
“Roxie was my life and I loved her more than anything, and still do,” said an emotional Sophie.
“She was a beautiful and clever little girl who had a smile that warmed the hearts of everyone who knew her.
“She is my guardian angel and has given me the strength to get through this.
“I see other mothers happily playing with their children everyday but I have to visit my baby at her grave.”
Picture courtesy of Facebook.
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