'PRINCE CHARMING' MURDERED MY GIRL; Mum believed killer trucker was the perfect family man.

Byline: Eileen Branagh

A DEVASTATED mum whose daughter was strangled by her partner in his lorry believed the killer was her "Prince Charming".

Roxanne Lawrence, 38, said nine-year-old Stacey had loved trucker Darren Walker and enjoyed regular trips with him.

The schoolgirl's body was found on Saturday in the cab of Walker's lorry in a lay-by in Warmington, Northamptonshire.

It is thought he strangled Stacey then hanged himself in nearby woodland.

Police are probing claims the youngster may have been sexually assaulted.

Shattered Roxanne said she had gone from loving Walker, 40 - who she had been with for a year - to hating him.

She said: "I thought he was my Prince Charming. I never would have imagined this.

"He was brilliant with the kids, a family man. I could not believe how lucky I was.

"On Friday morning I loved him, now I just hate him for what he has done.

"But the man that I loved is not the man who did this. The man who did this is an animal. No sane-minded person could do that."

Yesterday Roxanne, of West Bromwich, and her eldest daughter Emma Hammond, 17, fought back tears as they recalled how "baby trucker" Stacey loved her trips inWalker's lorry.

Roxanne said: "He was a hard-working man - a friend of the family.

"Stacey loved him. She enjoyed the family life that she had got... the trips to the zoo and family days out.

Friends "She just enjoyed being part of a proper family like her friends had.

"Initially she never used to go with him but she asked why she couldn't.

"I said I didn't think she'd be interested because she was a girl but it turned out she was.

"We used to call her the 'baby trucker' because she enjoyed it so much."

Emma described Walker as "a normal family man" and added: "We thought he would protect us. We would never have let her go if we had thought anything would happen. Nobody would have done."

Roxanne said she had a perfectly normal conversation with Walker on Friday evening - shortly before he is believed to have killed Stacey.

She said: "She had been with him about four or five times before.

"I had a normal conversation with him. They were waiting to watch EastEnders."

Roxanne and Emma described Stacey as "a wonderful person".

They spoke of her love of reading and animals and her generosity.

Emma said: "We could be here all day if we described how brilliant she was.

"She would have done so well in life and it's a shame someone as evil as that has taken it away from her."

CAPTION(S):

BEAST: Walker, left, killed Stacey then hanged himself BETRAYED: Roxanne Lawrence wrongly thought her partner was charming