Slain businessman Atakan Atay's heartbroken family have told his 'cruel' killer wife: "We don't know how you will be able to live with yourself, we can never forgive you".
As Karine Atay was convicted of killing her partner of almost 20 years, his relatives paid tribute to the doting father, saying he was a good person who always wanted to do the right thing.
Atay had met Atakan while on holiday in his homeland of Turkey and a whirlwind romance saw them married within months.
But after moving back to the UK, cracks started to appear in their relationship, which was put under enormous strain by the death of their daughter, Sophie, aged two-and-a-half, in 2010.
Atakan struggled to cope with Atay's drink problem and it was was while trying to stop her going out to buy wine that he paid with his life when she thrust a knife deep into his heart.
As jurors at Newcastle Crown Court found her guilty of manslaughter, Atakan's family said they will carry the pain of that knife in their hearts forever.
They said: “Words cannot express the huge loss and pain that Atakan’s tragic passing has caused to our family.
“He was made a victim because of his compassion and being a good person. He always wanted to do the right thing and that has cost him his life.
“We are all going to carry the pain of that knife in our hearts all through our lives. Every knife we see will remind us of the pain it gave to his beautiful heart.
“Atakan and his family have been obliterated by a cruel person in a split second. He fought all of his life to keep the family together but now England is a grave for all of us.
“He was the apple of our family, a gentleman, a doting father and a beloved brother. We feel ashamed of every breath we take knowing that he is not here.
“Karine, we don’t know how you will be able to live with yourself when we are struggling to get through our own lives with such pain.
“We can never forgive you for the damage you have done to this family. Our hearts have been broken forever.
Atakan's family sat through the entire trial which lasted more than four weeks, often struggling to deal with what they had to hear.
One of them collapsed in the public gallery last week as jurors were played the 999 call containing Atakan's last words and breaths.
Murder accused mum tells dying husband she 'loves him more than anything' in 999 call played to jury
