THE family of Andraya Lyons, who was murdered by her former partner, say they hope their tragic loss will encourage other women experiencing violent relationships to seek help before someone else loses their life.

Anthony Porter, 32, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 17-and-a-half years to serve at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday after admitting to killing the mum-of-two by beating her to death in the early hours of December 10.

The court heard how there had been previous violence in the relationship and Andraya had sent text messages to friends detailing how Porter had often hit her, leaving bruising.

One of her young sons also witnessed one previous incident.

The “vicious” and “horrific” attack which led to her death stemmed from an argument at a Christmas party at the Marriott hotel where Andraya told Porter their relationship was over.

Despite attempts by her friends, Andraya, 39, decided to stay at home, believing that Porter would have left her alone.

But after breaking in, he punched, kicked and stamped on Andraya as well as hitting her with an iron - causing 45 separate injuries.

He poured grey paint down her throat while she was unconscious then set her home on fire to cover his tracks. Her death was caused by Porter’s attack, inhaling the paint and the fire.

Emergency services discovered her body in her lounge after neighbours reported the smell of smoke.

Porter handed himself into police hours later and admitted murdering Andraya, describing the attack as “five minutes of madness”.

Following the sentencing, Andraya’s family released a statement to express their immense sadness at losing a daughter, sister and mother and hope other women in similar situations seek help to end any abusive relationship.

They said: “We have now been able to close another chapter of this truly horrendous and traumatic situation.

“Andraya was a generous, fun-loving, bubbly, caring person who saw the good in everyone. She was not only a much loved daughter, sister, niece, aunty and friend but also a mother to two young boys who are now left to grow up without her love.

“We miss her so much and all our lives have been completely devastated by the act of one evil, vicious, selfish, manipulative and cowardly individual.

“We will never get over the circumstances surrounding the death of Andraya or accept any remorse for what he has done and put our family through. We can only hope that, in time, we will be able to start rebuilding our lives while we cherish the happy times and memories.

“We would like to thank all those involved in this case and the support we have received during this difficult time. This has helped to restore our faith in mankind; we have been overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity with their donations to help the boys.

“The way the specialist teams have professionally conducted the investigation, thoroughly gathering evidence and reporting this information, has been exceptional and we must give special thanks to the Family Liaison Team for their outstanding support throughout.

“We as a family would also like to take this opportunity to reach out to anyone that may be experiencing domestic abuse or anyone that may have knowledge or witnessed someone that is going through similar abuse. There is support available; please do not suffer in silence and please find the strength to seek help.

"Had we have known the type of relationship Andraya was experiencing then this terrible situation may have been avoided.

"If, after hearing this statement, one person can leave a violent relationship - then at least something has come out of this dreadful nightmare we are going through.”

Every week, two women are killed as a result of domestic violence and Swindon Women’s Aid Director Olwen Kelly hopes the tragedy of Andraya’s death gives others the strength to leave violent relationships.

“It is very important that individuals who are in a relationship and thinking about leaving get the help and support they need,” she said.

“I want to reiterate to people in Swindon that there is something called the domestic violence disclosure scheme where people who are in an abusive relationship or fear that someone is, can go into a police station and have the right to ask about someone’s background.”

Swindon Women’s Aid operate a 24-hour hotline and people can call 01793 610610.

Detective Chief Inspector Jeremy Carter, of the Brunel Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “This was a vicious attack on a mum-of-two in her own home.

“Porter is an extremely violent individual who has shown no remorse for his actions and as a result, Andraya’s children and family have been left without a mother, daughter, sister and aunty.

"This horrific crime has understandably also affected those living in the Rodbourne area, as well as the wider Swindon community; I would like to take this opportunity to thank those people who have helped the police during this investigation to ensure the family of Andraya see justice done.”