Convicted killer Rudolph Leroy West has told his family he wants to die and will not cooperate with any appeals.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that West's attorney, Ms Patricia Harvey, was seeking leave to appeal against conviction and sentence.

However, it emerged yesterday that West had not signed the papers and therefore the hearing could not take place.

A close relative of West said: "He has not signed any appeal. He is not appealing. He chooses not to appeal.'' West, 27, of Mullet Bay Road, St. George's, pleaded guilty to premeditated murder, a charge that automatically carries the death sentence, when he appeared in the Supreme Court last month.

The court heard that West went into the Chamber of Commerce building, on Front Street, where he stabbed his estranged wife, Rochelle West, to death.

Last night the relative, who spoke to West in prison, added: "Rudolph does not wish anyone to appeal on his behalf. He wrote to the Chief Justice and he wants a date set and his sentence carried out.'' For an appeal to go ahead, the papers would need West's signature and as he was deemed fit to plead, the courts cannot appoint an attorney to appeal on his behalf.

It appears the matter now lies in the hands of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy and already the Governor, Lord Waddington, has called for a written report from the Chief Justice, the Hon. Mr. Justice Ward.

That report will be passed to the committee which will advise Lord Waddington, in whose hands West's fate will lie.

"The family did send a letter to the committee and we are hoping the death penalty will be commuted.

"We got our letter off at the eleventh hour. It is in conflict with Rudolph, but there is not much we can do, we cannot persuade him,'' added the relative.

"It is us having to adjust to what he is saying and at the same time telling him that is not what we want.'' When the sentence was passed, the human rights group Amnesty International began a campaign to persuade the Bermuda authorities to commute the sentence as well as to abolish the death penalty altogether.

Since then scores of letters have been received by the Royal Gazette from around the world. A batch yesterday contained letters from Austria and Sweden.

Addressed to the Mercy Committee, one letter says: "I would like to remind you that the death penalty was abolished in all British dependencies in the Caribbean in 1991. I am therefore strongly and respectfully asking you to follow this example.'' The relative added: "I was close to Rudolph and I have had no impact on anything.

"He feels he has taken one life and his should be taken too. He has said that if they do not do it, he will do it himself.''