GARETH Horton was today beginning a life-sentence for murdering the most important girl in his life -- as her family vowed: "We'll never forgive him".

Horton, 29, of Walmsley Street, Darwen, was convicted by a majority of 11-1 by an Old Bailey jury yesterday.

The former Blackburn with Darwen Council social worker murdered friend and ex-colleague Charlotte Flanagan on New Year's Eve at the pub where she worked in London. Horton's defence had claimed that he should be found guilty of manslaughter, saying that depression had led to a temporary lapse of mental responsibility.

Horton went into Charlotte's bedroom above the Barley Mow pub and stabbed her in the neck with a nine-inch kitchen knife after developing an emotional and sexual obsession with her, the court heard.

He then left the pub, where he had been attending a 'Vicars and Tarts' party, and rang his parents in Darwen to confess. Once the guilty verdict and sentence had been passed, Charlotte's family, of Melville Gardens, Garden, greeted her friends from the pub outside court 14 with hugs and tears.

Along with her mother Dorothy, father Kevin, brother Luke, sister Kate and grandmother Doreen had listened to the entire trial.

Afterwards, Dorothy said: "For my family and I the last nine months have been a living hell. Now this man is behind bars other families will be spared the agony we have endured and will continue to endure at his hands.

"He has deprived our daughter of her future and devastated our lives yet he still has his life and a future.

"We believe the result and the sentence are the right ones but we will never understand why he did it and we can't and will never forgive him.

"Trying to get on with our lives is very difficult because a special part of our lives has been taken away. She was the best daughter you could have asked for, caring, kind and considerate.

"It was the fact she was so kind to him that she has died. She was nice to him when he was alone. Her only crime was being too caring."

Charlotte attended St Cuthbert's Primary School in Darwen, St Wilfrid's High School in Blackburn, Blackburn College, and worked at the Trinity Partnership in Clitheroe before moving to Social Services in 1999, where she first met Horton.

Horton moved in with her to help her pay her mortgage in the summer of last year.

Sentencing Horton to life imprisonment, Judge Brian Barker QC said: "What triggered your actions we will never know, but you armed yourself with an awful weapon, went up to her room and took the life of the most important person in the world to you.

"Given time Charlotte's family and friends may get used to the face she is not around, but they will never get over it."

Horton's parents, Eileen and Richard, sat in public gallery as their son was taken down to the Old Bailey cells and returned to HMP Belmarsh.

Ken Foote, director of Social Services, said: "Charlotte's death left all who knew her very shocked and our thoughts have been with her family since this awful event.

"Gareth Horton was immediately suspended from his post and has since resigned. Until this tragic incident we did not have any cause to be concerned about Gareth's ability to carry out his job."