I was 15 when he was killed, I never got to say goodbye

Victim impact statement from Seeley’s daughter

MY dad was murdered by Mark Ward when I was 15 years old.

I never got to say goodbye to him. His coffin was closed due to the brutality of his death.

This has had a devastating effect on my life. For the longest time, I pretended it wasn’t true. I’d never seen his body so how could it be?

I know now that was just my mind protecting me from it all.

My dad and I were so alike in so many ways. We loved all the same movies, had the same taste in music and loved all the same types of food. My dad was an amazing cook, he made me dinner two or three nights a week and we would spend our nights arguing over which movie to watch or laughing at our favourite comedian.

All that is gone now. All I have in its place are the memories of our life we shared and the bond we had. He has been stolen from me and all that’s left in his place is the suffocating reality that is his absence. To say I miss him is such a huge understatement of the truth, it’s an insult to his memory.

My dad meant everything to me. He made me feel safe and loved. He was my best friend.

I’m a different person now since his death. I’m sad all the time. I’ve lost most of my friends because I can’t talk to anyone and I’m filled with this anger and resentment.

I didn’t think I would be able to go to the trial, and for the most part I didn’t — my mum thought it would be too traumatising for me to go through.

In the end, I did go for a few days of it. I wanted to be there for my dad, fighting his corner as he would have done for me.

My dad was a great father. He loved me truly and I loved him.

He will never see me grow up, pass my driving test, graduate from university or walk me down the aisle at my wedding.