Sadistic child killer Anwar Rosser has launched an appeal against his whole-life prison sentence.

Rosser’s legal team lodged the appeal with the Court of Appeal this week. A judge will decide in the next few weeks whether it goes to a full court hearing, or should be dismissed at the initial stage.

The 33-year-old psychopathic former soldier was sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars last month for the savage murder of four-year-old twin Riley Turner.

Riley was strangled and stabbed repeatedly while he slept in his bed at his family’s home in Harewood Road, Bracken Bank, Keighley, in January 2013.

Rosser pleaded guilty to the murder and was branded “an exceptionally dangerous man” who could kill another child, by the sentencing judge, Mr Justice Coulson.

The judge said the murder was a gross breach of trust of Riley’s family and he told Rosser he “must go to prison for life.

Rosser became only the 54th prisoner in the UK to be on a whole-life tariff, meaning they will remain in custody until they die.

Five of those – including Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe and Crossbow Cannibal Stephen Griffiths – are from the Bradford district, which now has one-tenth of all whole-life prisoners.

Councillor Keith Dredge (Lab, Keighley West) said the news was “a blow” and could lead to Riley’s family and the wider community “reliving the trauma.”

Coun Dredge, who was proactive in supporting the community after the tragic death, said the appeal could also lead to more expense for taxpayers.

He said: “The guy is legally entitled to appeal, but I have faith in the British justice system.”

Rosser’s legal team had urged the judge to take into consideration recent judicial debate on the legality of whole-life tariffs, and asked him to step back from imposing one.

The European Court of Human Rights last year ruled the sentences must be reviewed, and the Court of Appeal will decide at a later date whether they should remain legal, though the Government insists whole-life tariffs are “wholly justified in the most heinous cases.”

Rosser is represented by Chambers Solicitors of Bradford. No-one was available for comment yesterday.

The Court Of Appeal confirmed Rosser had lodged an appeal against sentence.

The mother of a four-year-old boy savagely murdered by a friend who was allowed to sleep on her sofa has said she feels ‘so much guilt’ over letting the ‘monster’ stay with them.

Sharon Smith and her partner Guy Earwaker had thought psychopath Anwar Daniel Rosser was a harmless neighbour and allowed him to stay at their house when he asked after turning up after a night out.

In the early hours, the 33-year-old sneaked upstairs armed with four knives and stabbed Riley Turner to death.

He then crept into another bedroom where the boy’s mother and her partner were sleeping and curled up to sleep on the floor.

In a victim impact statement read in court Miss Smith said: ‘I wish I had told the monster no that night when he asked if he could sleep. He said people were outside his house and were going to beat him up and I believed him. I didn’t want him to get beaten up, but all along he had a knife in his pocket, plotting to hurt one of us, or all of us.

‘I feel so much guilt that my poor son had to go through such horrific things because my kind heart didn’t want to let that monster get beaten up. Now my kind heart cost me my son’s life.

‘I don’t feel like ever being nice to people at all except my family. The guilt eats me away every day. What he’s done is unforgivable, he’s ruined our lives.’

In the morning, following the attack, the mother-of-three, 26, was shocked to find Rosser curled up in a ball on the floor next to her, and ordered him to leave.

Moments later her partner, Guy Earwaker, noticed Riley’s light on and went to check his room – only to find it covered in blood and the boy semi-naked and dead on the bed with his throat cut.

Riley had been strangled, repeatedly stabbed and attacked in a sexual manner. Chillingly, Rosser had waited downstairs to hear the anguished screams. He escaped, but was arrested later by police.

Yesterday Rosser, a former soldier with a history of being violent when drunk, admitted murder at Bradford Crown Court. Experts agreed he was not mad but was a psychopath who could commit more ‘acts of sadistic homicide’.

Mr Justice Coulson branded him an ‘exceptionally dangerous man’ who had shown ‘appalling savagery’. He jailed Rosser for life and there were emotional scenes in the public gallery as the judged ordered he remain behind bars ‘for the rest of his natural life’.

Victim impact statements read in court showed how the family’s life has been devastated.
Miss Smith described Rosser as a ‘sick monster’ and said she had been frightened to go outside since the murder.

‘I get in a panic when a man walks past. I don’t trust men at all.’

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