'You know you did not do it, but it's terrible, you start to doubt yourself'

A MOTHER who had been falsely accused by her serviceman husband of killing their baby daughter yesterday spoke of how the pressure of suspicion made her begin to doubt her own innocence.

Hayley Harries, 20, was in court to see her estranged husband, Gareth Harries, 25, a senior aircraft technician in the Royal Air Force, receive a jail sentence of six years and eight months for shaking to death Chloe, eight months.

Before finally confessing his guilt, Harries had incriminated his wife, who also serves in the RAF and who was on a night out when he assaulted the child in their home at the RAF base in Lossiemouth, Moray.

Mrs Harries said she felt hate towards her husband, and that the accusation had put her under "immense pressure".

She added: "You sit at home on your own and you have these thoughts going through your head. You know you did not do it, but it's terrible, you convince yourself, start doubting yourself. People are thinking you did it, and you cannot move on until you have been told you did not do it."

She continued: "I would not have gone out and left her with him if I had thought he would do something. A child is supposed to be safe with its father. I try not to think, 'what if I had been there…'"

Harries, whose RAF record included service in Iraq, was also condemned by a judge and the police for waiting 19 months to accept responsibility, and for making the allegations against his wife. He lost control when Chloe would not stop crying and shook her with such force that her injuries were fatal.

Jailing him at the High Court in Edinburgh, Lady Dorrian said: "I recognise that by pleading guilty you have spared the need for your wife to give evidence, which would clearly have been traumatic for her.

"However, it reflects very sadly on you that you waited until this stage to do so and, even worse, that you previously maintained a defence of incrimination, blaming your wife for the death of her own child, which must have made the traumatic effect of the child's death even worse for her."

Detective Inspector Matt MacKay, of Grampian Police, said: "This was a deeply disturbing and tragic crime perpetrated by a highly manipulative person who was prepared to lie to cover up his actions.

"From the moment the authorities were alerted to Chloe's injuries, Gareth Harries attempted to cover his tracks with lie after lie. He alone was responsible," DI MacKay said.

The child's grandmother, Katie Bibb, 43, said: "For the last 18 months, Gareth has shown no remorse for his actions and lied to his wife, the police and his family. Gareth was a self-centred, compulsive liar who chose to remain free and enjoy two birthdays and two Christmases, knowing all along he killed Chloe. Chloe, however, was denied her first two years of life.

"We as a family believe Gareth knew exactly what he was doing that evening and acted out of spite and jealousy towards Chloe," Mrs Bibb went on.

"No sentence can be enough to satisfy us for the monumental loss we have suffered. We hope Chloe can now rest in peace, knowing we got some justice for her today."

Harries, from Milford Haven, South Wales, had been charged originally with murdering Chloe on 24 November, 2006, but the Crown accepted his guilty plea to the lesser offence of culpable homicide.

Online tributes to 'little Welsh princess'

HUNDREDS of friends and family have paid tribute to baby Chloe through the memorial website Gone Too Soon, where her mother, Hayley, describes her as a "happy little girl who had just got her first tooth and learnt to stand".

By yesterday afternoon, the site, created by Chloe's maternal grandmother, Katie Bibb, had received almost 3,000 visitors from around the world, with many lighting online candles and paying condolences to the eight-month-old girl.

Chloe's mother described how she missed her daughter on birthdays and at Christmas, but said all the "kind tributes and candles" had helped her during difficult times.

The child's paternal grandparents, Si and Jeanette Harries, described her as their "little Welsh princess", saying: "We miss you every day Chloe and we are so sorry that we will not get to see you play with your toys.

"All the family here in Wales will never ever forget you sweetheart, just keep lighting up the heavens with that beautiful smile and keep the angels singing with your laughter.

"With love from your broken-hearted grandparents, aunties and uncles."

Others left Chloe personal messages telling of everyday occurrences they would have liked to have shared with her, while some asked her to "look over" her grieving mother.

Writing on Thursday, "Nanny Libby" lit a candle and said: "We miss your giggles on the phone so much. Wish we could have that cuddle I dreamed of from the day you was born. Love you so much little giggles."

Other messages came from people who had never met the family but wished to pay their respects.