River murder father jailed for life - The Guardian

A father who murdered his five-year-old daughter and attempted to kill his six-year-old son by driving them into a freezing river has been jailed for life.

Christopher Grady, 43, plunged his car into the river Avon at Evesham, Worcestershire, on 11 February last year.

Gabrielle Grady spent two hours trapped in the submerged vehicle and was pronounced dead three days later. Grady and his son Ryan survived after police and firefighters pulled them from the water.

Grady was convicted last Friday after a three-week trial at Birmingham crown court.

Today Mr Justice Lindblom handed Grady a life sentence for the murder of Gabrielle and told him he would serve a minimum term of 15 years. He was sentenced to 10 years for the attempted murder of Ryan, to run concurrently.

The judge said: "What you did on 11 February 2010 would horrify anyone who is, or has been, the parent of a young child. It would horrify any right-thinking person. You took the life of your daughter, Gabby, who was five years old. You tried to take the life of your son, Ryan, who was six. Those crimes were born of anger and self-pity."

The judge added that Grady had put his "defenceless" children, who were screaming and crying, "in terror" and had betrayed their trust in him. He said: "In all of this, Ryan and Gabby were innocent. They were your children. They loved you. They looked to you for protection and support."

During the trial, jurors heard that Grady had warned the children's mother, Kim Smith, she had 10 seconds to say goodbye to them before he drove into the water at Hampton Ferry.

Smith, 37, said he arrived at her house in Evesham at around 9.15am, telling her to say goodbye, before driving away shouting the word "river". She said his face was "contorted" and "vile" with anger.

The jury of seven women and five men took five hours to find Grady guilty of both counts. He had denied the charges, telling the court the incident had been "an accident".

After Grady was led away from the court, the judge offered his condolences to Smith. He said: "I turn to the family, and in particular Miss Smith and Ryan (who was not in court). I offer them my own sympathy in their loss, and I hope that the pain of that loss may now be easier to bear."