Andrew Innes set to appeal conviction and sentence for murdering Bennylyn Burke and her daughter Jellica

A man who murdered a woman and her two-year-old daughter before burying their bodies under his kitchen floor plans to appeal his conviction and prison sentence.

Andrew Innes, 52, was earlier this month jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 36 years behind bars for the murders of Bennylyn Burke, 25, and toddler Jellica.

Innes hit Ms Burke on the head with a hammer. He then stabbed her with a samurai sword before bludgeoning her with the handle of the blade and the hammer.

A few days later, he then asphyxiated Jellica before burying both bodies under the kitchen floor of his house in Dundee.

Ms Burke, originally from the Philippines, moved to Bristol a few years ago and met Innes via an online dating site.

Innes admitted the killings but had denied murder and instead lodged a special defence of lacking criminal responsibility and diminished responsibility.

During his testimony, he described the hammer as “not a useful weapon”, adding: “If this was premeditated in any way it would have been way cleaner.”

Asked why he killed Jellica, Innes replied: “Because I was insane as a result of the steroids.”

The jury had been told that Innes had taken steroid medication for a condition and had not slept at the time of the deaths.

However, the judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to support Innes’s defence that the medication had caused him to suffer steroid-induced psychosis which led to him going “insane”.

Following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh, Innes was also found guilty of sexually assaulting Jellica, raping a primary-school aged child and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

During sentencing, Lord Beckett stated the charges were “amongst the very worst crimes which have come before the High Court”.

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The crimes took place at Innes’s house in Troon Avenue, Dundee, between 20 February and 5 March 2021.

The software engineer has now launched a bid for freedom and intends to challenge both his conviction and sentence.

A spokesperson from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service told Sky News: “The court has confirmed a notice of intention to appeal against conviction and sentence was lodged on 17 February.

“Currently any note of appeal should be lodged by 14 April 2023.”