Man jailed for murdering daughter with chloroform

LONDON, Nov 3 (Reuters) A man who killed his daughter with chloroform to punish his wife for being unfaithful was jailed for 15 years. Gavin Hall, 33, a hospital radiographer, murdered Amelia, 3, as her mother and sister slept in their Northamptonshire home.

The jury at Northampton Crown Court yesterday heard that he gave his daughter sleeping pills before he smothered her with a rag soaked with chloroform, media reports said.

Hall, who admitted manslaughter but denied murder, tried to commit suicide after the murder.

''Gavin Hall must live with the consequences of what he did to his daughter for the rest of his life,'' said Superintendent John Jones of Northamptonshire Police.

''The investigation of the circumstances which led to the death of Amelia Hall is possibly one of the most tragic cases I have dealt with in 28 years as a police officer.'' Amelia's mother, Joanne Rainsley, paid an emotional tribute to her daughter.

''Millie will always be remembered as a happy, lively and beautiful little girl and I am proud to have been her mum,'' she said in a statement read outside court.

''With the huge cloud of the trial over we will hopefully be able to bring back to the forefront of our minds the wonderful times that Millie brought us.'' Hall, from the village of Irchester, Northamptonshire, suffered an emotional breakdown after discovering his wife was having an affair with a part-time judge she met via a sexual contact advertisement on the Internet, media reports said.

REUTERS SHB VC0920