The Kok family said today they would not object to prisoner Salvu Gauci receiving appropriate treatment and care for his illness or to his family being with him in hospital when the end comes. However, they do not feel he should be given a Presidential pardon.

Mr Gauci was found guilty of the murder of Anna Kok and his family are appealing for him to be given a pardon for his final two years in prison since he was terminally ill.

Anna's wife Peter and her children Jan and Tina said in a statement today that the family found it extremely distressing that this issue had been brought up again.

"We have already suffered for 12 years, losing a wife and mother, having to endure the period when the murderer was on bail and the trial itself.

"My son was just 12 at the time of Anna’s murder and my daughter was just 14. We have come to terms with the fact that Salvu Gauci was not given the maximum sentence in spite of the fact that he had been in and out of prison for decades before the murder.

"We have also seen the Gauci family torn apart, with his estranged wife Rose being shunned by the rest of her family because of what he did.

"And these terrible things are only the tip of the iceberg. His domestic disputes and his violent behavior have long affected his wife and her family. Anna Kok, who was his sister-in-law, had been threatened before and his wife Rose bears many, many scars…

"My family is willing to show him compassion – far more than the compassion he showed us.

"We would never object to his receiving appropriate treatment and care for his illness and would never object to his family being with him in hospital when the end comes.

"However, we cannot know when the end is and feel very strongly that he should not be given a Presidential pardon as he deserves to pay for his mistakes.

"Our wounds will never heal but we do not deserve to be put through more pain. Please let us get on with what is left of our lives," they appealed.