A statement issued by the family of Sally Hodkin this afternoon reads:

"Sally Hodkin was a loving, caring wife, fantastic mother and grandmother and terrific friend.

"There is not a day that goes by when we do not think about her, she is sorely missed by all that knew her.

"It has been extremely difficult as a family to sit in court for the last five weeks and hear the evidence unfold in this case.

"We cannot quite understand how or why Nicola Edgington was released back into society so soon after killing her own mother. Her release in 2009 didn’t involve any independent psychiatrists or mental health tribunals. The Ministry of Justice simply followed recommendations from the Bracton Centre where she was being held.

"This cannot have been the right decision otherwise we would not be here today.

Nicola Edgington to this day denies responsibility for killing her own mother; she has not provided any account for killing Sally Hodkin at any stage.

"Nicola Edgington’s defence claimed she was in fear when she attacked Kerry Clark moments before she killed Sally Hodkin. The savage attack on Sally Hodkin by Nicola Edgington was not a normal stabbing she continued to attack Sally whilst she was on the floor; she slit her throat with a meat cleaver and nearly decapitated her.

"It is our opinion that this woman should never be released back into society.

"The public need to be protected from people like her.

"Sally Hodkin was walking to work on the 10th October 2011 minding her own business. She did not know Nicola Edgington, had never met her before, yet was horrifically murdered for no apparent reason.

"We would like to thank the police for their actions and efforts after 8.30am on that day and particularly the officers who were first on the scene. All the officers in the investigation have worked very hard to gather the evidence to get this case to court. Our family would like to say a special thanks to our family liaison officer Vicky Robson, who has provided us with invaluable support throughout.

"We would also like to thank prosecution counsel Mark Heywood and Louie Mably for a thorough and professional job and for taking the time to speak with our family and keep us updated and informed over the last few weeks.

"And we thank the jury for the decision they have come to today."