JAN Charlton, who killed former Harwood businessman Danny O'Brien with 20 blows from an axe, began a five-year jail term this week after being found guity of his manslaughter.

Her trial attracted national headlines as the bizarre sex life shared by Charlton and Mr O'Brien was revealed.

But to Mr O'Brien's mother, Elizabeth, her son was an entirely different person to the man portrayed in the case at Leeds Crown Court.

Here she talks exclusively to reporter DAVID CROOKES

'No matter what anybody says, I was proud of him'

ELIZABETH O'BRIEN is a typical 72-year-old.

The white-haired pensioner is small and softly spoken.

And she lives in a well-kept, modest mid-terraced house in Harwood where she intends to see out her retirement.

But for the past year she has faced every mother's worst nightmare -- the violent death of her son.

And she has listened in court while his killer, Jan Charlton, described striking 41-year-old Danny O'Brien in the head and upper body 20 times with an axe at the home they shared in Midgley, West Yorkshire.

Despite the ordeal and the horror of it all, Mrs O'Brien remains resilient.

"Daniel was a clever man," she said. "So I never understood why he didn't see right through that monster.

"I guess at the end of the day he was like any man, just interested in sex and she was able to provide lots of that."

Mr O'Brien was born in Heywood on May 16, 1960. He attended the prestigious St Peter's Grammar School in Manchester before going into banking.

He left to sell advertising for a radio station and later worked for Thorn EMI in Manchester.

After that, the Manchester United fan was employed by British Gas, before leaving to form a company that repaired domestic appliances. He later sold that to British Gas -- a deal that left him able to live without working.

Irish-born Mrs O'Brien said: "He was a self-taught, well-educated man and no matter what anybody says, I was proud of him."

Leeds Crown Court heard Mr O'Brien described as a "control freak" who was so meticulous that he lined his shirts up in his wardrobe in colour and sleeve length order.

But Mrs O'Brien said: "I didn't know him as a control freak. To me he was an ordinary son.

"People made something of him being meticulous, but his father was just the same and he got it from him.

"He was always honest, generous and caring. A very popular man."

When Charlton is mentioned, her face alters slightly and her eyes look over to the pictures of her son on the mantelpiece. The devout Catholic clearly despises the woman who killed her son.

She said she took an instant dislike to 36-year-old Charlton.

"I think Daniel knew when she moved in that he had made a mistake, but because she had a child he didn't throw her out straight away," she said.

"He was a man of principle, but she was very possessive. She didn't like him to get in touch with his old friends.

"I was frightened of her. I stayed over three times and never felt comfortable.

"She looked and dressed in a provocative manner and I was just wary of her. I never had an issue with his other girlfriends, but Daniel just laughed and said 'Oh mum' when I said I thought Charlton would physically harm him."

Mrs O'Brien will be selling her son's former home for around £300,000.

Not one penny of her son's money will be paid to Charlton.

She said: "That woman spun a web of lies from beginning to end. I could not believe it when she telephoned me after he was killed and acted so innocently, saying she hoped police would find the killer.

"I knew it was her straight away. As soon as the police told me, I thought of her."

Charlton claimed in court that she killed O'Brien because he threatened to kill both her and her four-year-old daughter Amy.

"There was also absolutely no truth in the accusation that my Danny would have harmed Charlton's daughter," said Mrs O'Brien.

"He loved Amy. Whenever I was with him he would always say he wanted to get some chocolates for her. He was devoted."

Mrs O'Brien has now lost both of her children. Her daughter, June, died from leukaemia when she was just 13. Her husband, also called Daniel, died aged 80 from cancer in 1994. Father and son were very close, according to Mrs O'Brien, who speaks of Danny as the little boy who enjoyed trips to the south coast.

Mr O'Brien also nursed his sick father when he had cancer. "He would sit on the floor all night in case his father wanted a drink or something," his mother said. "Then he would get up and go to work the next day."

Mrs O'Brien was on the verge of breaking down when she recalled the news of hearing of her son's death.

The display of emotion was a rare moment. She sat impassively through Charlton's six-week trial at Leeds Crown Court.

"The only thing which truly rocked me was when Charlton said killing Daniel was like swatting a fly," she said.

"I saw her smile. She only became serious again when the prosecution barrister asked her if she thought it was funny."

Mr O'Brien telephoned his mother every day, but they last spoke at 12.25pm on May 23 last year. That was the day he was killed.

"Charlton told lie after lie," Mrs O'Brien said. "I will never forgive her."