THE father of a Barry man who was murdered in a homophobic attack has spoken of his relief, after Appeal Court judges refused to quash the killer’s conviction.

Pete Akers, 76, said he was relieved that Mark Malone, who was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison for the 2008 killing of Pete’s son Jeff, had also failed in a bid to have the sentence reduced.

Malone was described, during his original murder trial, as having an ‘unhealthy interest in knives and a hatred of homosexuals’, after ferociously stabbing Jeff Akers in a public toilet in Walton on February 19, 2008.

Malone’s appeal was heard at the Court of Appeal on Thursday, July 8 – the day after Jeff would have celebrated his 53rd birthday.

Mr Justice Maddison concluded there was no reason to believe the verdict had been unsafe.

Pete, of Lower Morel Street, Barry, said ‘hanging would have been too good a punishment’ for Malone, but added that he was relieved the appeal had failed.

He said: "No sentence would bring Jeffrey back, but I am very pleased the appeal judges have not overturned the conviction.

"Malone is very arrogant – when he was told his sentence, he just put two thumbs up and said ‘thank you’.

"The judge at the time warned us he would appeal because he has nothing to lose, but he also said it was unlikely he would win."

During the Old Bailey trial, the court heard Malone, who lived in Walton, had drunk half a bottle of vodka and a can of beer before going into the public toilets at Cowey Sale, near Walton Bridge, and stabbing Mr Akers in the back with a 12 inch carving knife.

Earlier that day, Malone, a married father-of-two, had lied to a job centre to get a crisis loan to buy the bottle of vodka. He then stole the murder weapon from a burger van near the toilets.

Two key witnesses in the trial were his brother-in-law and his partner, who told the jury Malone had gone to their house and demonstrated to them how he had stabbed Mr Akers.

Malone had told them he did not know what state Mr Akers was in, but ‘hoped he was dead’.

The Court of Appeal dismissed arguments from Malone’s legal team, challenging the minimum tariff of 30 years in jail set by Judge David Paget in light of the murder being a hate crime.

Malone’s lawyers argued there was no evidence the crime had been motivated by homophobia.

But the appeal judges were satisfied with the evidence Judge Paget relied upon – including an allegation that Malone had beaten up a gay South American man in the same toilets in 2007, and an arrest in Cornwall in 2003 for attacking an autistic man he believed was homosexual.

Pete Akers said a mass had been read for Jeff at St Helen’s RC Church in Barry on Sunday, to mark Jeff’s birthday.

He added: "My wife Pat has been devastated for two years.

"She was virtually a recluse for a long time.

"She didn’t want to leave the house to begin with, but you can’t stay in forever and she does go out now.

"We miss him something terrible."