Alan Evans trial: How do we tell girls daddy killed mummy?

Their "happy world" was shattered forever after she was murdered by her cheating husband Alan Evans.

The 32-year-old had three little girls who were her "pride and joy".

She had five attempts at IVF before the first of her children were conceived.

But now the daughters she fought so hard to have are left without their mother after she fell to her death at the hands of their father.

Her children are now being brought up by their grandparents who say they are a constant reminder of their daughter, which has helped to keep them "from going under".

An emotional statement from her mother Judy Bollen was read out in court after Evans, 35, was found guilty of murder and jailed for life.

Alan and Louise Evans celebrate the birth of their twins seven years ago.

Evans pushed his wife down the stairs at their Kidderminster home and then smothered her to death. He launched the attack after Louise discovered he had been having an affair.

Mrs Bollen described how her and her husband's lives had changed beyond recognition since the loss of their beloved daughter.

"It is near impossible to describe the grief, distress and upheaval that our Louise's untimely death has brought to our lives.

"We have been turned from grandparents to parents overnight.

"We have struggled to deal with our own grief," she said.

She described how she and her husband Derek had initially thought Mrs Evans's death had been a tragic accident.

"We could not believe the son-in-law that we loved so much would have hurt our daughter."

After his arrest, Evans showed a "lack of emotional support for his girls and emotionless response to the death of his wife", Mrs Bollen said.

"Alan's attitude and reaction to Louise's death has been so distressing for us.

"Alan has shown no signs of remorse or regret," she added.

"During the trial, it has been so difficult for us to listen to Alan's protests of what a fantastic dad he is.

"Before Louise's death, he was a good dad, but his behaviour since his arrest has been completely the opposite to that of a loving father."

She said his actions had caused more grief and distress to the girls.

"He has refused to allow the girls to have their own toys and clothes from the house.

"This included the bunnies that they slept with at night.

"This may seem minor, but the girls were taken from their home in the middle of the night and lost their parents. Just having their bunnies would have gone some way to helping them settle at night.

"But Alan's attitude of 'I haven't done anything wrong and girls should be with me' meant that he would not even allow us to have the items that would have helped us comfort his daughters in the weeks following her death.

"The girls have not been allowed to have any of Louise's clothes, family photographs or anything that would help them deal with the loss of their mother or memories of her.

"Photographs have even had to be printed from Facebook just so the girls could have a photograph of Louise for their bedroom.

"Alan has moved all of Louise's clothes and possessions from the house and they have not been seen since.

"We have been trying to put memory boxes together for the girls, which has been extremely difficult not having access to Louise's belongings and memories.

"These heartless and uncooperative actions we feel are cold and do not reflect those of a father who only eight years ago was undergoing several rounds of fertility treatment to have the children that were so desperately wanted by our daughter," said Mrs Bollen.

Expressing disbelief at Evans' decision to resume his affair with his mistress Amanda Chadwick, who was a teaching assistant at his children's school, after his wife's murder, Mrs Bollen said: "How could he?

"In short, it seemed as if he couldn't care less."

Speaking of how her daughter's death had affected her, she said: "I don't enjoy life as I did. I can no longer laugh without feeling guilty.

"It hurts to see mothers and daughters together," she said.

"Because of Alan, we have been deprived of our daughter. Derek has lost his little girl.

"Mark and Lee have lost their sister. The children have lost their mummy.

"I have lost my friend. But most of all, he has deprived Louise of raising her girls and seeing them grow; the girls she fought so hard to have.

"All that we have been able to tell them is that daddy may have hurt mummy and that a man called a judge, who looks a bit like a king, will decide if he has.

"We now have to decide how to explain Alan's conviction to them. How do we do that?".