Father jailed for slitting daughter's throat

LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) A father has been given a life sentence after admitting murdering his three-year-old daughter and trying to strangle his young son.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, slit his daughter's throat and attempted to tie a cable around the neck of his nine-year-old son after a fight with his ex-wife.

In passing sentence, Judge Martin Stephens said the father had committed ''unspeakably evil acts''.

''It is difficult to conceive of a more serious offence -- a father murdering his three-year-old daughter and attacking his nine-year-old son with the intention of killing him,'' the judge added.

The 50-year-old man was jailed for at least 23 years yesterday, for the murder of the girl, who cannot be named.

He was also sentenced to 12 years to run concurrently after admitting to trying to put a cable around his boy's neck and strangle him.

The boy had managed to escape during the attack last June and raise the alarm. The mother was in police custody at the time as a result of false allegations of assault made against her by her ex-husband. She was later released without charge, but by the time she returned home, the attacks had taken place.

The man, who had been drinking, had attempted to set fire to the home and take his own life, the Old Bailey heard.

He was found by police with his wrists slit and singing to music.

The court heard that he had wanted to ''control'' his family and stop another man from entering their lives.

The mother, who lives in north London, said her son's youth has been ''destroyed'' by his father.

In her victim statement read out in court, she added: ''The first week (after the murder), I could not eat, sleep or even look after myself. The pain is so great.'' REUTERS LL SSC1049