Briton's murderer gets death sentence

Last updated at 16:03 12 April 2007


A Tunisian man has been sentenced to death for the murder of a British great-grandmother, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

Violet Bradford, 71, was raped and murdered in March last year. She was strangled with her own skirt and robbed of a small amount of cash and her mobile phone.

Jalloul Khalfi was found guilty of her murder and sentenced to death by a court in Tunisia on April 5, a spokesman for the Foreign Office said.

He was unable to confirm reports Khalfi would be hanged.

The victim's daughter Linda Benn, said she was "devastated" to miss the final court appearance of Khalfi but pleased justice had been done.

Mrs Benn, of South Kirkby, near Pontefract, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "This will help us all move on a little bit but I was devastated to miss it.

"I wanted to see him, to put a face to that name. He is a coward and I wanted to look at him, face to face."

Khalfi, a chicken farmer, was eventually trapped by calls he made on the victim's phone.

The 36-year-old had made several calls - including one that came through to Mrs Benn - and police were able to trace the signal.

Mrs Benn told the paper: "That is what we have been fighting for, the outcome is the one we wanted. That man is the lowest of the low, doing what he did to a 71-year-old. He is disgusting.

"If I had my way, I would be at the hanging."

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said the family had been kept informed about the court dates it was aware of.

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