Isis victim’s family: You have no power over me. I forgive you
THE brother of a British aid worker slaughtered by British Islamic State terror cell dubbed the Beatles offered his forgiveness to one of the gang who was then sentenced to life in jail.
And Athea, 11, the daughter of David Haines told IS thug Alexanda Kotey in an America courtroom: “It’s not easy to be the girl in school whose dad was killed by terrorists.”
The 38-year-old from Paddington, London listened to two hours of impact statements from the families of British aid workers Mr Haines and Alan Henning and those of the Americans they executed.
Kotey learnt his fate as his fellow Beatle, El Shafee Elsheikh, who was convicted last month of terror charges after a trial, sat beside him. Elsheikh will be sentenced in August.
Addressing Kotey at the courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia Mr Haines’ brother Mike said: “You have inflicted more pain than I can ever put into words. Our lives will never be the same again.
“For too long now, you and your cohort have held power over me and my family. I am no longer willing to let that happen. Today I can say to you, you no longer have power over me and mine. I forgive you.”
However, Mr Haines’ wife Dragana told the pair she hoped they lived “for 200 years” with their crimes.
She added: “For all I care, you can live long and suffer.”
Daughter Athea, who was just four when she lost her father, said: “Sometimes I get sad when I see my friends laughing and playing with their fathers.” And the court heard how Mr
Henning’s daughter Lucy had seen a picture of her father’s headless body while scrolling on Instagram.
She said: “If I wasn’t such a moody teenager, maybe he wouldn’t have gone (to Syria),”
Her comment drew gasps of sympathy from members of the court.
She added: “I feel just as much to blame as anyone else.”
None of the bodies have been returned to families. Kotey was a UK citizen before the government stripped him of his passport.
His IS cell, nicknamed them “The Beatles”, due to their British accents,
kidnapped and tortured more than two dozen hostages, including Mr Haines, 44, from Perth, and Mr Henning, 47, from Salford, in 2014.
The pair were beheaded in propaganda videos. The IS killers also executed four Americans.
Kotey admitted to torturing hostages while in Syria, accepting all eight charges against him in a plea last year.
In September, he pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including conspiracy to murder.
If he cooperates, he could be sent to Britain after 15 years to serve a life without parole.