THE heartbroken partner of murdered Blackwood man Michael Lee Emmett has said she will “keep the memory alive” of her childhood sweetheart and father to her three children.

Natalie Preece’s baby daughter, little Lola Grace, will never know her dad who died just one week after she was born.

The devastated mum, from Blackwood, also said she can never forgive Michael’s killer – 16-year-old Connor Doughton – and wishes he could suffer the death penalty.

But Miss Preece said she now has no choice but to move on and is collecting photos, cuttings and souvenirs for a scrapbook for her children and plans to tell her stories about her father.

She said: “The boys have their memories but the scrapbook is more so for Lola because she has no memory of him whatsoever. She will never know him whatsoever.

“I will obviously tell her stories and keep his memory alive. Mike had a lot of friends so they will have plenty of stories to tell them.

“I will tell her everything from the very beginning. Having to drag it all back up again will be hard when she starts asking questions, but I will always be open with them.”

Miss Preece said it is her two sons, Logan and Riley, eight, and new addition Lola, which has kept her going through the last six months and who will be her priority for 2015.

She said Lola looks just like 29-year-old Michael and had her name chosen by him.

She said: “We didn’t want any more children but when Mike found out it was a girl, he was so so excited.

“She’s the absolute spit of him. Looking at Lola is like looking at Mike. The boys love her to bits. When she cries they are there straight away, just like Mike would have been.

“Mike picked the name. All through the pregnancy he wanted Lola, and I said no and then he came round for my favourite name, Sydney, but then when it all happened we decided it would be Lola.”

Miss Preece and Michael were childhood sweethearts, meeting through friends when she was just 15 years old and he 16.

She said: “We have been together since then, he was my first love. I will remember all the fun times we had together. He was always the joker in the group of friends.”

The past six months have been especially hard for Michael’s twin sons who are so frightened they can no longer sleep in their own beds.

“The boys are so frightened now. We have had to have the locks changed on the doors, and they don’t like going outside. They don’t sleep in their own beds. I think it’s more to do with the fact that Mike’s gone and when I’m out of sight I might not come back. They are both dealing with it in very different ways.

“You just never think that it will really happen to you. Christmas was the worst, seeing all the other kids playing with their dads and my kids are out there with just me. I'm not looking forward to the next one.”

Miss Preece said the fact the family knew Michael’s killer before the incident makes the whole tragedy even more difficult.

“We knew him really well. We took him in for a night when he needed a place to stay, he used to sometimes take the boys out on their bikes. He was fantastic with the boys and always pleasant and decent with me.

“I will never forgive him. Life should mean life. I would like to see him face the death penalty. If we had the death penalty here like they do in America, there wouldn’t be so many murders.

“I think if he knew he was going to get on death row he wouldn’t have done it.

“Knowing he’s locked up and not left on the streets any more has what’s kept me going these last months. I think the kids can relax now, but what worries me is the fact Connor lived quite near.”

Miss Preece said when the stabbing first happened, she felt guilty as it was her idea for Michael to go out that night.

She had planned a girly baby shower, and when Michael came home from work and didn’t have any plans, she told him to go out.

“For a while I thought if I hadn’t had my baby shower he would still be here. That night was awful, my brother rang me when I was in bed to tell me the news. You never think anything like this could happen to you.”

Following today’s sentencing, Miss Preece said she didn’t think 15 years was long enough.

Natalie Preece, 28, said; “I don’t think it’s enough.

“It was nerve wracking seeing him in court, he has never shown any remorse at all, and he even gave a smug grin as he left.

“I hope he rots in hell. I think the family should be disgusted for sticking up for him for so long.”

Michael’s sister, Kayley, said: “I’m feeling angry, it’s not a good enough sentence for what happened to my nephews and niece. My father is heartbroken.”