The family of Sir David Amess have described his murder as “beyond evil”.

Lady Julia Amess and the Amess family released a joint statement as his killer was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.

In the statement read outside court by Assistant Commissioner Matt Jukes, the family described the “sickening” thought of what happened after Sir David greeted his killer with a smile during a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea last October.

They said: “There is no elation in our family today following this sentencing. Our amazing husband and father has been taken from us in an appalling and violent manner. Nothing will ever compensate for that.

“We will wake each day and immediately feel our loss. We will struggle through each day for the rest of our lives.

“Our last thought before sleep will be of David. We will forever shed tears for the man we have lost. We shall never get over this tragedy.

“It breaks our heart to know that our husband and father would have greeted the murderer with a smile of friendship and would have been anxious to help. How sickening to think what happened next. It is beyond evil.

“Our thanks go to the police, in particular the two officers assigned to the family during this dreadful time.

“Our thanks also to the legal team who worked so tirelessly to ensure that justice was done.

“Our special thanks also to the many, many friends and family and of course, the general public, who have been a source of so much strength and love to us since David died.

“Somehow, we now have to move on with our lives although none of us really knows where to begin.

“We would refer to the statement made by our family immediately after this tragedy. Our message remains the same. We appeal to everyone to treat their fellow human beings with kindness, love and understanding. This is needed more than ever now.

“We now ask for privacy to rebuild our lives as best we can. There will be no further statements, interviews or indeed any comment. We ask the media to respect this. Thank you.”