The daughters of a "perfect" mum, who was butchered in a frenzied double killing, have welcomed the 30-year minimum jail term handed out to her "evil" murderer.

Slim Helen Dawson, 48, suffered multiple stab wounds and was strangled by muscular Austin Brayford, who then took a photo of her half-naked body.

He also battered to death Czech national Ivor Spratek in what was described as a racially motivated murder.

Brayford, 37, smirked and put his thumbs up as he was handed two life sentences at Leeds Crown Court yesterday and told he would have to serve a minimum of 30 years in prison, less 84 days he had spent in custody, before the Parole Board could consider his release.

Mrs Dawson's family said Brayford was an evil monster, but now would not be able to harm anyone else.

Sentencing bespectacled, shaven-headed Brayford - who fled to Blackpool to spend a week socialising after the double murder - Mr Justice Edis said the assaults were of extraordinary brutality and sustained.

The judge said the attack on Mrs Dawson was "in frenzy against a defenceless woman."

After hearing how Brayford told police that he hated Polish people and they deserved to die, Mr Justice Edis concluded that part of the motivation for the murders was racially aggravated because of Brayford's perception that the victims were Poles.

And he said the use of the camera to photograph Mrs Dawson's body demonstrated "not only a lack of remorse, but almost an enjoyment of what had been done."

Prosecutor Mark McKone said Mr Spratek and Mrs Dawson had been in a relationship for about two years and both were alcohol dependent. Mr Spratek and Brayford both had rooms in a shared terraced house in Sawrey Place, Little Horton, Bradford.

On the evening of July 12 this year all three had been drinking together and were drunk. In the early hours of the following morning a neighbour heard arguing and the sound of a man screaming, as if in a lot of pain, which did not stop until 7am.

Mr Spratek was found dead in his room that afternoon. He had suffered a severe blunt trauma to the head, and a significant injury to the brain. The injuries were consistent with multiple blows from an object with blunt and sharp parts and he died from blunt force head injury and haemorrhaging.

Mrs Dawson was found dead on the floor of the defendant's room. She had suffered nearly 30 stab wounds to her back, chest and abdomen. Some had punctured her lungs and liver and one had penetrated her aorta, causing haemorrhaging. The majority of her injuries had been caused when she was on the floor. She had also been strangled. The cause of death was haemorrhaging from multiple stab wounds.

Mr McKone said Brayford caught a train to Blackpool where he bought a burger and a beer. He told a waitress there were two bodies in his flat and he had killed them, but asked her not to tell police for a week so he could socialise in Blackpool before handing himself in.

He later told police: "I battered him round his head. I knew she would be a witness so I battered her as well."

Brayford had previous convictions for causing actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm to a former girlfriend by hitting her with a belt buckle and striking her elbow with a crowbar; and inflicting grievous bodily harm on another girlfriend by strangling her until she lost consciousness, punching her in the head and fracturing her collarbone. In January this year Brayford was given a suspended prison sentence for a racially aggravated public order offence.

Brayford's barrister, Andrew Stubbs QC, said it had been a mix of alcohol and uncontrollable anger that led to the tragic events. Brayford was a loner who had been described by his landlord as "nice and well behaved."

The judge said the victims had faced difficulties in their lives but were valued and loved by their families.

He thanked relatives of Mrs Dawson, who attended court for the sentencing, for their dignity, and said he hoped they would be given some closure by the end of the proceedings.

'MONSTER TOOK AWAY OUR PERFECT MOTHER'

The daughters of Helen Dawson described how "monster" Austin Brayford had robbed them of their "perfect" mum.

Becky Dawson, 25, said the lives of the family changed forever at 11.10am on Monday, July 14, 2014, when police officers told them their mother had been murdered.

"Our lives have not been the same since and never will be. The person who brought us into this world has been cruelly taken from us. She did not deserve that, neither did we.

"What did my mum do that was so bad that this monster felt he had to kill her?

"You don't think that the last time you will ever see your beautiful mum's face would be in a police morgue, just lying there all cold and alone and not being able to touch her.

"He has left two innocent children without a mum and a little girl, my two-year-old daughter Keira, without a grandma. It makes me physically sick knowing we have to go through the rest of our lives without her.

"No amount of time in prison is enough, in my opinion this evil person shouldn't be allowed to walk the streets again - my mum can't."

Becky thanked the judge for his sentence. "It does not make up for what he did, but it's a fair sentence."

Mrs Dawson's other daughter, Emma, said Brayford had shown no remorse. "The way he gave a thumbs up to the judge says it all," she said.

"My wedding was really difficult without her. It's meant to be the happiest time of your life, but it was shadowed with sadness. You feel guilty for having a happy time, because somebody important is not there."

Becky added: "She was a perfect mum. She was always there for us and never did any wrong to anybody. She was a loving and very proud grandmother. It's like a nightmare, it doesn't seem real.

"It was hard sitting in court hearing everything he had done to her and knowing he didn't even say sorry. He was smirking as it was all read out.

"It has brought a bit of closure for us. At least we know he is not going to be able to do that to anybody else, he is going to be in prison for a very long time."