Parents of murder victim Kirstie Ellis say her 'light will forever shine bright'

Tony Brooks, of Agbrigg Road, Wakefield, beat and strangled his girlfriend Kirstie Ellis to death on February 1 this year, before moments later taking her television to Cash Converters.

A sentencing hearing at Leeds Crown Court heard how Brooks then impersonated Ms Ellis by using her Facebook messenger account to convince her friends and family she was still alive.

A judge called Brooks “merciless”, sentencing him to life imprisonment.

In a statement from Kirstie’s parents, Vicky and John, and her family they said: “We are extremely grateful and give our thanks to all the people who have made this day possible and have brought some sense of justice being served on behalf of our daughter Kirstie.

“We would like to thank all the court staff for ensuring the smooth running of the proceedings, the prosecuting KC and his staff for their roles and the Judge for showing consideration for all the people who attended court today.

“Most importantly, we would like to thank West Yorkshire Police for their hard work and dedication to the case, and for ultimately bringing Kirstie’s murderer to sentencing with the evidence they collected.

“We extend our thanks to the police officers who worked closely with the family for their care and attention to detail, and for keeping us informed of developments in the case as best as they possibly could.

"They have been very supportive throughout this whole ordeal, and we could not have made it through any of this without them.

“The entire ordeal has been a living nightmare for the family, and we’d like to praise the police for their kindness and understanding. They have done a brilliant job under difficult circumstances, and now hopefully the public, and especially women, can breathe a huge sigh of relief that our communities are now safer with this murderer no longer roaming our streets.“Our daughter Kirstie was a beacon of light to all those who were fortunate enough to have known her and who wanted to raise the awareness of domestic abuse after suffering through it herself.“The problem of abuse has never gone away but is there hidden in plain sight behind closed doors, and now we unfortunately have lost our precious daughter and baby girl Kirstie to it.

“We remember Kirstie as a vibrant soul, Kirstie loved a drink, to dance and sing the night away. Kirstie's light will now forever shine bright in our family, among our friends and in all those who knew Kirstie's happiness. She will always be remembered for her sense of fun and joy, which has guided us through these troubling times.“Finally, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our friends and family for their support in attending court, as well as those who couldn’t make it. “Without you, we could not have made it through these horrendous times.

"Also, to all the people who provided evidence and statements against Brooks, without this we wouldn’t have been able to get the justice that we have got for our lovely Kirstie.

“You have no idea what it means to us as a family to have so much support and care. Although we will never be able to fully move on from this, we are now able to begin picking up the pieces of our lives, and make sure Kirstie lives on to be remembered as the happy, loving and caring woman that she was, with the hope she is now resting peacefully as she deserves.”