The son of Maureen Cosgrove has spoken of his “delight” at George Maben’s extended 18-year prison sentence.

John Cosgrove, of Gilders Road, Chessington, said the family now felt a “sense of justice” and wanted the sentencing to mark the end of their ordeal.

He said: “The Crown Prosecution Service, who shared our disappointment at the sentence, was very helpful in lodging an appeal, as you have to write to the Attorney General within a month of sentencing.

“From the outset of the case, I was personally hoping for 18 years, that sentence the police said they felt was right.

“If Maben got 20 years the first time round we would have been ecstatic; if he had got 15 years we would have probably accepted it.

"We were quietly confident and are really pleased with 18 years.

“Approximately 400 cases are brought to the Court of Appeal each year and about 80 make it to court. Of those about 70 or 80 per cent result in an increased sentence, so we were quietly confident.”

Mr Cosgrove said: “It’s not just about the sentence, what upset me was the comments from the Old Bailey judge suggesting he was a kind-hearted man – yet this man killed my mother.

“He was driven by selfishness and chose the easy option rather than getting a job.

"He obviously wanted a life with Lucy [Rees, Maben’s then girlfriend, the daughter of Maureen Cosgrove], but he never really supported her kids.

“She was a wonderful, trusting woman. Four children have lost their mother and nine grandchildren will grow up without their grandmother.”