A British man strangled his seven year old daughter should have killed himself instead, his traumatised Thai wife has said.
Wealthy antiques dealer Robert Peters, who was having an affair behind his wife’s back, was this week jailed or a minimum of 24 years for strangling his seven year old daughter Sophia at their £1 million home in London.
Following the trial, Sophia’s mother, Thai born Krittaya Peters said she wished her husband had moved in with his mistress then her daughter may still be alive, The Mirror reported.
In a statement, she said: “I couldn’t believe Robert killed Sophia, as I thought he loved her so much,” she said.
“Since Sophia died, I have been on a rollercoaster of emotions, whilst still trying to stay strong.
“I have been trying to stay positive and calm.
“I couldn’t believe Robert killed Sophia, as I thought he loved her so much,” she said.
“Since Sophia died, I have been on a rollercoaster of emotions, whilst still trying to stay strong.
“I have been trying to stay positive and calm.
Peters initially admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but later changed his plea and confessed to murder mid way through the trial at the Old Bailey.
The court heard how the millionaire had throttled Sophia with a dressing gown cord at their home last November.
During the trial it was revealed how Peters had searched online for “serial killers”, “treatment of child killers in prison” and “premeditated murder”.
It was also revealed how he had recently ended a two and half year affair with a Home Office official he had met online.
Peters, a former Israeli soldier, had a history of depression and had claimed that he was about to go bankrupt, although this was found not to true.
In an audio clip played during the trial, Peters said: “I have been depressed for a long time.
I planned on killing my daughter because I just couldn’t bear going on with life.
“Over the last year I have been slowly going bankrupt.
“Not yet bankrupt, but that’s the way it has been going.
“I haven’t been in control of anything. That was the fact.
“My life was impossible to live.”
He added: “I went into her bedroom and I strangled her.”
Mukul Chawla QC, prosecuting, said: “On the morning of Friday 3 November 2017, this defendant, Robert Peters, killed his seven-year-old daughter, Sophia.
“He killed her by strangling her over a period of several minutes – possibly as long as 20 to 30 minutes – with a dressing gown cord.
“Sophia was approaching the end of her two week half term holiday having started at a new school that term.
“There is no dispute that Mr Peters killed Sophia. The prosecution case is that that killing amounted to murder.”
Detective Inspector Helen Rance, of Scotland Yard, said: “The death of a child is something no family should have to go through, but the fact that Sophia Peters died at the hands of her own father makes it truly dreadful.
“Sophia was a loving and much-loved child whose loss has devastated all who knew her from her family through to her school friends and teachers. I hope that the conclusion of the judicial process will be of some comfort to all those so terribly affected by her death.” RSL – EP
Thai wife of millionaire Brit who murdered their daughter says he should have killed himself
