THE FAMILY of a man stabbed to death by his lover's estranged husband said their lives had been devastated by his death and they would suffer the loss until the day they died.

The parents of Mark Dicken, Rowland and Rosalind, his wife Vicki and sister Alison said they were 'utterly disgusted' with the eight-year sentence handed to Colin Myhill for killing their only son, a sports-mad former chef.

They said their lives had been changed for ever and they had lost a devoted son, husband and father.

Both Mr Dicken, 66, and his daughter-in-law said they harboured no ill feelings towards Mrs Myhill, who was at the centre of the love triangle which led to Mr Dicken's tragic death.

Speaking after the sentencing, Mr Dicken said his family were 'absolutely devastated' by his son's death.

Fighting back the tears he said: "I am utterly disgusted with the sentencing. It was totally unexpected. He (Myhill) has taken away my life, my wife's life, Mark's wife's life and his six children's lives.

"One of the children, Riley, is never going to know his father. He had two grandchildren and a sister who is devoted to him.

"He was our only son and he was very close to us. We totally relied on him and he was always there if there was a problem. We are on our own now. There is not a minute of every day that we do not think about Mark. It affects us all the time. We are surrounded by memories of him."

Mr Dicken said his grandchildren had nightmares and had struggled with school work since the death of their father.

One daughter, Cassie, who was only 10 at the time of the stabbing, had failed to take her 11 plus exam and missed out on the chance of attending Torquay Girls' Grammar School.

"He (Myhill) has destroyed nine people's lives and not even got one year in his sentence for each of those lives he has ruined. He will probably be out in three or four years and have his life back. We will never pick up the pieces," Mr Dicken said.

The victim's sister Alison, 40, who now lives in Bournemouth, added: "We will suffer this loss until the day we die."

Mr Dicken lives in Manor Road, Newton Abbot, with his wife Rosalind, also 66.

They all remain close to Mark's first wife Hayley Breslan, the mother of his first four children: Martine, 17, Sam, 15, Joseph, 13 and Cassie, 11.

Mark also has a fifth child with his second wife Vicki.

Mr Dicken said: "Sam has taken his dad's death very badly. They were very close, he is very much like his father. This has made him unpredictable and he has a lot of anger inside him.

"He often visits his dad's grave and can sit there and talk to him for hours."

Martine was in the early stage of pregnancy the last time she saw her dad alive.

In excited anticipation of the new arrival he took her to Mothercare at The Willows, Torquay, and brought her a pram.

Rowland said: "That the was last thing he did for her. He never got the chance to see her baby. Every time we look at the pram, we see Mark."

The court case threw up some lurid details of private lives with a tangled web of fractured marriages, fleeting sexual encounters and jealous rages played out in public.

Mr Dicken, a married man of 47 years, takes pragmatic view on the matter.

"The case clarified a lot of what had happened and we were able to piece it together. That is important — it meant we weren't left wondering."

Both he and his wife are committed Christians and attend the Christian Centre in Old Exeter Road.

"Our church has been wonderful," he said, "but we still have all those emotions to go through, the dark tunnel, like anyone else.

"People may not understand this but I have forgiven Myhill for what he did — but I can't forget it. You have to forgive, don't you? I don't have any bitterness inside me.

"Mark was a devoted, wonderful man who loved his family very much."

In a statement, Mark's wife Vicki Dicken said: "Despite the nature of the events leading up to Mark's death and the fact that it appears he was having an affair with Bonnie Myhill, I want to make it clear that I hold no malice or ill feelings towards her.

"I don't blame her for what happened. Although things have come out in the course of the trial that I wasn't aware of, we had been through some ups and downs, but Mark and I had our future planned.

"We would have got through this. I would have forgiven him and we would have had a happy life together.

"Nothing can give us back what we have lost, Mark was my life, I love him more than anything and that has been taken from me.

"We were hoping for a conviction for murder. The charge of manslaughter feels like a failure of justice.

"We will have to carry the burden of Myhill's actions for the rest of our lives, nothing can take away the pain and suffering we go through every day. Nor does it make up for the fact that Mark's children and grandchildren will have to grow up without having him in their lives.

"I feel robbed, both in the loss of my husband and the life we could have had.

"Mark was a good person, he was a devoted father and family man and would do anything for anyone.

"Words can't express my sense of loss or how I really feel about losing him.

"He didn't deserve what has happened."

In a lasting legacy to their son, the family have set up a tribute website with picture galleries, his life story and space for people to leave contributions.

Visit: www.mark.dicken.much loved.com