AN APPEAL to increase the prison sentence of Emma O’Kane’s killer, Neil McNulty, has been dropped by the Attorney General.

Emma’s devastated family were told by police he is now likely to walk free in just two years’ time.

The 19-year-old will only serve half of his four-and-a-half year sentence if he behaves himself in jail after it was decided by a top solicitor that the Court of Appeal would not grant a longer jail term.

"To hear this news out of the blue was just devastating," said Emma O’Kane’s mum Diane.

"When the police told us I just broke down.

"I know nothing that happens will ever bring Emma back, but it just does not seem fair."

Emma’s fiance Michael Shepherd said: "This is an insult to the family.

"I feel totally let down by the justice system. We put our faith in them and they have destroyed us.

"It’s a system that punishes the victims more than the criminals because what McNulty has done to us is a life sentence."

McNulty, of Peel Lane, pleaded guilty to Emma’s manslaughter after a bottle he threw into The Queen Anne Pub smashed and hit her in the neck on Boxing Day night last year.

He was handed the four-and-a-half year sentence at Manchester Crown Court on 7 April after already spending three months in custody.

"The Crown Prosecution Service had told us we had a good case to appeal that the sentence was too short," said Diane.

"When we didn’t hear anything from them for a few months it gave me hope because I thought they must be looking into it really carefully."

Officers from Greater Manchester Police’s major incident unit visited the Back o’ th’ Moss family after a decision was reached by the Attorney General’s office.

A spokeswoman said: "The case was considered by the Solicitor General Vera Baird QC.

"She saw all the papers in the case, including statements made by the victim’s family describing the terrible impact of the offence on them and comments made by the judge on sentencing.

"She also took into account previous decisions of the Court of Appeal which show the sentence was within the correct range for this type of offence.

"The law officers can only refer a sentence if it falls well below the range of sentences available for the crime - this is a high bar.

"After careful consideration, she came to the conclusion that the sentence of four-and-a-half years was not unduly lenient, and there would be no realistic prospect of it being increased by the Court of Appeal."

Bench in Emma's memory

A BENCH in the park where tragic mum-of-three Emma O’Kane used to sit and watch her children play will serve as a permanent tribute to her memory.

The seat in Queen’s Park was unveiled by Emma’s fiance Michael Shepherd, her three children and parents, Diane and Mick O’Kane during the week she would have been celebrating her 28th birthday.

One hundred friends and family of Emma, killed on Boxing Day by local teenager Neil McNulty, joined in the celebration of her life with a picnic in the park.

Balloons carrying messages to the bubbly Queen Anne barmaid were also released into the sky during the day on Saturday June 13.

Michael Shepherd, who lives on Edgworth Close, said: "It was a lovely day and a really nice way of celebrating Emma’s birthday.

"Even people who didn’t know her were coming over to say how nice the bench looked as a tribute.

"Emma loved going to the park with the kids so having a picnic there with them was probably what we would have done anyway if she was still alive.

"It had been raining all week but she made the sun shine for us on the day."