SKY NEWS – 7.12.14 – 06.00

GILLIAN JOSEPH:  The widow of the British aid worker David Haines whowas beheaded by Islamic State militants in September, has spoken for the firsttime about his murder.  Speakingexclusively to Sky News, Dragana Haines says the IS fighters who killed him arecowardly monsters.  She also reveals howshe felt when she saw her husband in the hostage video and tells us what lifeis like for her and her daughter now he’s gone. Katie Stallard reports.

KATIE STALLARD:  Athea’s father, David Haines, was murdered byIslamic State militants three months ago. She’s still too young to understand and her mother doesn’t know how totell her, how to explain that he’s not coming home. 

DRAGANA HAINES: I didn’ttell her what happened but I told her that it’s us girls alone now and that wehave to help each other, we have to support each other because there is no oneelse to help us so I’m trying to make her understand that daddy is not comingback.

KATIE STALLARD: They metamid the chaos of post-war Yugoslavia, he’d grown up in Scotland and served inthe RAF but he found his calling humanitarian work.  In March last year he was kidnapped in Syria.

DRAGANA HAINES: Every daywas a challenge, waking up in the morning and thinking okay, should I behopeful, would it be a day when they will call me or he when will call me andsay I’m free, I’m coming back?  Or willit be a day when they will call me and say something bad has happened?

KATIE STALLARD: But in JuneIS released a video showing David Haines and warning he would be next.

DRAGANA HAINES: I saw himin the video, I saw … I just saw the part when he was talking … I’m sorry … Theperson who did it, even the rest of them, they consider themselves brave,that’s not bravery, it’s a cowardly act to behead someone who has his handstied behind his back, who’s kneeling and you’re not a human being.  You must be a monster to do something likethat.

KATIE STALLARD: When didyou come to know, how did you find out that the worst had happened, that Davidhad murdered?

DRAGANA HAINES: It wasaround eleven at night I think and I received a phone call from Mike, fromDavid’s brother, who just told me, Dragana they can’t hurt him anymore … and …that’s more than that who … that actually might be for   the rest of my life. 

KATIE STALLARD: She triesnot to let her daughter see her tears, she wants to make her life as normal andhappy as she can.

DRAGANA HAINES: David gavesense to my life, he made it something different, he changed it and now Atheais my reason to go on.  She gives mestrength.  David would want me to bestrong for our daughter … 

GILLIAN JOSEPH: DraganaHaines there, the widow of murdered David Haines, speaking for the first timefollowing his death.