Murderer's mum will stick by him

ROBERT McCarry's heart-broken mother today vowed to stick by her son - despite jurors finding him guilty of the murder and rape of charity worker Nicola West.

A sobbing Rita Spaldings told of her shame at McCarry's crime and revealed her sorrow towards Miss West's grieving family.

But she promised to support her son, who is today facing up to a mandatory life sentence behind bars.

Mrs Spaldings, of east Ipswich, said: “A couple of his friends have already turned their back on him.

“I don't think I will disown him completely.

“I can't live with having a son as a murderer, but how can a mother turn her back on her own son?

“I feel ashamed about what he's done but I suppose it's because I love him.

“I don't condone what he's done but I feel sorry for the girl who's died and I feel sorry for her family."

Mrs Spaldings also revealed how her son was haunted by the death of a former girlfriend who died of an overdose while she was with him.

She said McCarry has a tattoo on his arm in memory of the woman, who died around a decade ago, and said the death still tormented him.

Mrs Spaldings claimed her son had fled the scene before emergency services arrived.

She said: “He still has nightmares about her death.

“It was a long time ago but I know he is still affected by it.”

She said McCarry was fearful his girlfriend Carla Huggins would leave him and claimed her son had written to her revealing he couldn't live without her.

“He writes to me everyday and he has told me that he would be devastated if she ended their relationship.”

She said she has kept newspaper cuttings of the case in a scrap book.

She said: "I will send it to him and say: "look what you've done to us".