THE tears of a grieving father summed up the misery wrought by the Birkby firebombers.

Rab Nawaz Khan, who lost his wife and five young daughters in the inferno, broke down during a police press conference after the court case ended yesterday afternoon.

Mr Khan, 46, trembled with emotion as he clutched the photographs of his young family which he had carried every day to Leeds Crown Court.

Such was the emotion, he could only manage a few words to describe the turmoil inside him.

He said: "We feel that such a crime should never be repeated against anyone else, especially a family that has never done anything to deserve any of this."

A family member, Jalil Karim, condemned the killers as "sick and truly terrible" people.

He added that those involved in the crime had shown no remorse at all for their actions.

He added: "They have shown no evidence of their sadness, remorse or an ounce of basic human compassion for a family stricken by grief."

Mr Karim said the defendants had even laughed and joked at the end of the trial.

"They are a disgrace to our religion and to our community," he said.

Mr Khan was at home in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, when the gang killed his wife, Nafeesa, and five girls aged from 13 years to just six months old.

The youngsters had travelled to Huddersfield to stay with their 60-year-old grandfather, Abdul Aziz Chisthi, who had been ill.

Mr Khan gazed at the photographs of his family as Mr Karim consoled him.

Mr Karim said: "They were innocent people who deserved nothing like this at all."

Speaking at the press conference, Mr Chishti said his family had no problems with anyone in the community and did not know their attackers.

He was rescued from the blaze by his daughter, Siddiqah, 28.

He said the family was finding it hard to cope with the tragedy, but added: "We can forgive, but according to the holy Koran, people who commit such crimes will go to hell."

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