When Bethany Haines meets one of many evil terrorist cell who killed her dad in jail later this month, she is going to give him a letter.
Within the observe, grieving Bethany, from Perthshire, will remind twisted Alexanda Kotey how each of them missed family members this Father’s Day.
Kotey is one in every of 4 British-born IS terrorists – nicknamed The Beatles – who kidnapped, tortured and beheaded her father, help employee David.
Mum-of-one Bethany, who will fly out to the US for a four-hour showdown with Kotey on June 27, stated: “I've an alternative to write down him a letter and I’ll hand it to him after I sit down with him within the jail.
"I wish to make him realise the devastating results his actions have had on others – together with his personal 17-year-old daughter. The message will tie in with Father’s Day.
“It should say one thing like, ‘Similar to my dad, you didn't get to have a good time Father’s Day. I didn't see my dad and also you didn't get to see your daughter. However for you, that's by selection. You might have the remainder of the life to return to phrases with that.’”
In April, Kotey, 38, was sentenced to life after pleading responsible to terror offences in opposition to hostages in Syria – together with Brit David in 2014.
On the identical trial, courageous Bethany learn a shifting sufferer influence assertion as she regarded him straight within the eyes.
However there may be one letter she has already written – a heartfelt observe to her dad, which couldn’t be extra totally different.
As we speak she is going to bury it below a particular tree, which her household use in lieu of a grave, to mark Father’s Day.
Within the message, she tells him of her fears about assembly Kotey and the way she nonetheless feels he may name at any second to say he’s on his means residence. She additionally celebrates the truth that two of his tormentors have now been discovered responsible of his loss of life.
It reads: “I suppose we will now say we gained! We obtained them! The monsters are gone and can by no means be free once more.”
And, vowing to seek out his stays within the hills in Syria and convey them again to the UK, she stated: “Though they’re gone, I promise I gained’t cease. I gained’t cease looking out till I deliver you residence. I ought to have at all times been looking out however I promise I'll attempt to make up for it now.”
Bethany, 24, stated she is hoping to speak to safety providers and at last get to Syria and provides her dad a correct burial.
David was kidnapped whereas working at a refugee camp in Syria in 2013 and held for 18 months by west-London-raised gang Kotey, El Shafee Elsheikh, Mohammed Emwazi and Aine Davis.
In 2014, a video of gaunt and pale David, 44, kneeling subsequent to knife-brandishing Emwazi – dubbed Jihadi John – horrified the world. It ended together with his beheading, one in every of 27 the group are believed to have carried out.
Emwazi died in a drone strike in Syria in 2015 whereas Davis, 38, was captured in Turkey in 2017 and sentenced to seven-and-a-half years
for being a member of a terrorist organisation.
Earlier this 12 months Elsheikh was discovered responsible of hostage taking and conspiring to homicide after a two-week trial, whereas Kotey was
sentenced to life in jail.
Bethany stated: “I used to be there for the entire trial. I've been placing collectively notes and have about 200 pages which have helped piece collectively my dad’s days in captivity.
“I realized about robust issues within the trial like how he was water-boarded. Kotey was the one who held a towel over my dad’s head. It was laborious to take heed to.
“When he was sentenced to life in jail, I walked throughout the courtroom room and informed him to ‘go to hell’.
“I do know my dad would have wished me to talk my thoughts and that’s what I did. Since then I really feel like I'm edging nearer to getting closure.
It seems like this 12 months we achieved one thing for my dad by jailing Kotey and Elsheikh.”
Bethany will meet Kotey in a jail in Virginia earlier than he's despatched to one in every of America’s most high-security super-max prisons.
Conferences with any of his victims’ family members is a part of a situation of his sentence. She can be allowed to offer him a letter.
Bethany stated: “I've combined emotions in regards to the assembly. I do know it’s now or by no means. I wish to coolly and calmly interrogate him however know I’ll must attempt laborious to not get indignant and go for him.
"I’m getting ready a listing of questions and can practise them with the police.
“I’ll rehearse situations of what I wish to say to him.
“I've a letter from him that's 25 pages that all of us obtained after sentencing. I can be selecting that aside intimately.
“I don’t need an apology or him begging for forgiveness. Something like that can be faux, I do know it. He has had conferences with different households over the previous weeks and he’s cried in a single.
"I’ve additionally heard he’s admitted guilt to a small diploma however hasn’t expressed any true regret.
“If it was as much as me, he would’ve had the loss of life penalty.
“I simply need solutions – I want so as to add them to my notes of what occurred to my dad. My final intention is to seek out out the place Dad’s stays are and get him residence as quickly as doable.
"I’ve been doing sufficient analysis that I prefer to assume I’ll know the best way to press Kotey’s buttons. I would like him to really feel as
uncomfortable as doable.”
Regardless of Elsheikh’s sentencing anticipated to happen in August, for Bethany this month’s journey to the US can be her final in her campaign for solutions.
She stated: “I really feel like I’ve been flying backwards and forwards for a while however this assembly would be the final. I wish to really feel like I’ve actually obtained someplace so really feel fairly targeted about it.”
Bethany – who usually finds Father’s Day laborious – has informed how she has motive to really feel barely extra constructive
this 12 months.
She stated: “Father’s Days are sometimes troublesome when everybody else is with their dads.
“For the previous few years I've taken a handwritten letter all the way down to a tree within the woods my dad used to take me to on a regular basis as a child to journey my bike.
“And not using a grave, the tree seems like one of the best place to connect with him. So I’ve obtained within the custom of burying the letter below the tree.
"Typically the letters are fairly downbeat in tone. However this 12 months I really feel there may be extra that I can share that's constructive for Dad.”
The letter begins: “Daddy, it’s one other Father’s Day with out you. I can’t even say what number of years it’s been since I final noticed your face because it makes it actual.
"It nonetheless feels such as you’re on an infinite journey in some far-off nation and that any day I’ll obtain a textual content or a name to say that you simply’re in your means residence.”
Talking of his tormentors, it goes on: “I stood up in courtroom and regarded them each within the eye and informed them precisely what they’ve completed to our household.
“I hope that I made you proud and you'd have rolled your eyes after I requested him to go to hell.
“I’m scared to face him in a room however I do know it’s the fitting factor to do and the fitting factor isn’t at all times the simplest factor to do. He'll remorse the day he dared damage our household.”
It ends: “I see your face each time I have a look at the celebrities and know that you simply’re up there encouraging me to maintain going. Until we see one another once more.
"Your loving daughter, Bethany”.
And Bethany has insisted that, though her dad is gone, she is going to struggle laborious to maintain his reminiscence alive. She at all times talks to her son about his “grandad David” and vividly remembers the final Father’s Day she had with him.
She added: “I keep in mind we did an early Father’s Day as a result of he was going to Turkey, the journey on which he went lacking. We went for espresso, noticed a Disney movie and I keep in mind him saying, ‘Keep robust and take care of your mum.’
“I by no means dreamed that will be the final one we shared collectively.
“Dad was a particular man. There was the help employee who individuals appear to know who was seen within the orange jumpsuit however then there was the smiling, pleased man I knew – the man who wore cargo trousers, beloved Disney movies and made garbage dad jokes.
"He was my hero. I’ll always remember him.”
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