David Haines daughter: I’ve not slept full night since Dad was killed

Bethany Haines has not had a full night's sleep since her father David was abducted

The daughter of a Scottish aid worker beheaded by the Islamic State group in Syria has said "closure is in sight" after the conviction ex-British jihadist El Shafee Elsheikh.

Bethany Haines said she has not had a full night's sleep since her father David was abducted by IS in 2013.

Elsheikh, 33, was linked to David's killing and the abduction, torture and beheading of several other IS hostages.

On Thursday, a US court convicted him over his part in the terror group.

Bethany, 24, who travelled to Virginia in the United States for the 11-day trial, said it had helped her come to terms with her father's death.

• Guilty verdict for Islamic State jihadist in US

• Key moments from the Islamic State trial in the US

"It's taken a long time to heal, I never thought I would. It's definitely helped," she said.

"Even coming for the first few days of the trial, you can feel like you're starting to heal throughout this.

"I've not had a full night's sleep since my dad was killed, so hopefully tonight I'll get a full night's sleep."

David Haines was working for a French aid agency in Syria

Aid worker David Haines, 44, who lived in Perth, was abducted and held captive in Syria by the Islamic State group for 18 months.

His execution was filmed and released in 2014 as part of IS propaganda footage - triggering outrage around the world.

Bethany said Elsheikh's conviction showed "America and the world will not accept this".

"It sends out the message that this sort of behaviour is unacceptable," she added.

"My hope it that no-one else has to go through what me, the other families and the ex-hostages' families had to go through."

Elsheikh was the highest-profile IS fighter to stand trial in the US.

The Sudanese-born Londoner and two other men were nicknamed the IS Beatles because of their UK accents.

As part of the extradition agreement, Elsheikh will not face the death penalty in the US

Alexanda Kotey pleaded guilty to his own charges last September and Mohammed Emwazi was killed in a 2015 drone strike in Syria. Aine Davis, an alleged fourth member, is currently imprisoned in Turkey.

They are said to be behind the deaths of four American hostages - journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig.

They are also blamed in the deaths of David, British aid worker Alan Henning, and Japanese journalists Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto.

During Elsheikh's trial, four rows in the courtroom were permanently reserved for former hostages and their family members.

'One disjointed family'

When the guilty verdict came through, there were tears as the families held each other's hands.

Bethany said they had grown close during the long fight for justice.

She said: "When you go through each count and you hear all the names - James Foley, Kayla Mueller, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig - it's equally as important to hear that as it is about my dad.

"I met their families and spent time with them, so you see how it affects them. We're all kind of one disjointed family now. I'm so pleased for them."

Bethany added: "I feel like it's coming to an end, closure is in sight, we're on the home stretch now.

"With the sentencing of Kotey and Elsheikh, we can finally close the chapter on this horrible event"

Elsheikh is due to be sentenced in August, but must also appear in court on 29 April for victim impact statements during Kotey's sentencing.

As part of the extradition agreement between the US and UK, Elsheikh will not face the death penalty, but faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

On Thursday, David's brother Mike said it marked the end of "an eight-year chapter of pain" for the family.

He said: "This unanimous judgement is a triumph for society over ills like terrorism and helps differentiate us from the hateful, divisive ideologies that fuel these individuals," he said.

"It must also act as a warning to anyone else seduced by the false glamour of extremism."