THE mother of a Bolton businessman killed by his girlfriend says she has lost faith in British justice after his former escort girl lover had her jail sentence slashed on appeal.

Janet Charlton was jailed for five years for the manslaughter of wealthy boyfriend Danny O'Brien, but on Friday the Court of Appeal reduced the term to three and a half years meaning the 36-year-old could be freed within months.

Charlton had hacked 46-year-old Mr O'Brien to death with an axe in the house they shared in Midgley, Wakefield in May 2001.

His body was found naked, gagged, blindfolded and handcuffed in a bedroom of the house and at Leeds Crown Court last year Charlton was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter.

However appeal court judges Mr Justice Jackson and Mr Justice Elias have now ruled her five year jail term was "excessive."

Mr O'Brien's mother, Elizabeth, who lives in Harwood, hit out at the decision.

"How a killer can make up bare-faced lies about a man who can no longer speak for himself, and how judges supposedly representing decency in this country can accept her unsupported slander about my son is beyond belief," she said. Charlton had claimed in court that Mr O'Brien had threatened to kill her and her three-year-old daughter Amy.

But Mrs O'Brien says that was a lie.

"He was not a violent man. He was gentle, generous and decent," said Mrs O'Brien.

"She lured my son into a situation, made him vulnerable and then brutally and cold-heartedly killed him.

Mum hits out at appeal ruling