"I just keep seeing her lying down in the mortuary" – mother of Tracy Kearns says she has 'lost everything'

Builder and part-time barman Anthony Bird, 49, has been jailed for 13 years for the manslaughter of his partner Tracy. Bird had been cleared of murder and after a retirement of 11 hours and 20 minutes, the jury found him guilty of manslaughter on a 10-2 majority verdict.

Eileen Jones, from Llandudno, said that she could hardly sleep at all since her daughter was taken away from her in May.

She said that she could not understand why Bird had done such a thing.

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And she said her two grand-daughters knew their father was in jail for hurting her and that she was now in Heaven.

Mrs Jones said she had not just lost her daughter but she had lost her friend.

Tracy was “someone I could talk to, take my problems to, and she could bring her problems to me”, she said.

In a victim impact statement read by prosecuting barrister Anna Price at Mold Crown Court , Mrs Jones said that her “heart was bleeding”.

Mrs Jones said that she still expected to see Tracy come in through the door, although of course she knew she would not.

She would wake up at 2am or 3am and could not sleep until the following night. “I just keep seeing her (Tracy) lying down in the mortuary,” she said.

Mrs Jones told how she would “just sit and look at pictures of Tracy and talk to her”, hoping perhaps she could hear her.

The lack of sleep was wearing her out and she could not eat properly, she said.

She had to carry on for the girls (her two grand-daughters) but she said before giving the victim statement she had not spoken to anyone about it. She felt she could not confide in anyone.

Mrs Jones said of Tracy: “She was my world.”

She told how they would go shopping together on her days off, and with the grand-daughters, have days out and go for a meal.

Her son, who lived in Stoke, telephoned every day to make sure she was all right and if she saw someone in the street and they mentioned Tracy, she would get emotional. People said that they were sorry and she would “well up” and start crying.

She was trying to carry on and had bereavement counselling and witness support which had been marvellous, but she could not speak to anyone really. She just kept it all inside, the court heard.

She said her grand-daughters had had everything taken away from them: their mum, the wonderful times they had and they would have to grow up without her.

She would miss so many things: sports day, Christmas, birthdays and seeing them do well in school. “She is not going to see anything any more,” Mrs Jones said.