sentence for murdering his wife was commuted to life in prison.

But the victim's mother said West should have been hanged for taking her "baby's'' life.

Last August, the Chief Justice, the Hon. Mr. Justice Ward, sentenced West to death for the premeditated murder of his estranged wife, Rochelle West.

Twenty-seven-year-old West, stabbed his wife to death on January 5 this year at the Chamber of Commerce Hamilton building, where she worked as a receptionist.

The Supreme Court was told that West, who pleaded guilty to killing his wife, took a container of sulphuric acid from his workplace and armed himself with a knife.

On the day of the killing, he went into the Chamber's office and poured some of the acid on his wife. He then stabbed her several times -- in front of her horrified workfriends.

A death sentence is automatically referred to the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy to consider whether it should be upheld or commuted. The final decision rests with the Governor, Lord Waddington.

Yesterday he announced that after consulting the committee, he "had commuted the sentence of death on Rudolph Leroy West to one of life imprisonment''.

Last night, speaking for the first time since her daughter's murder, Mrs.

Rhona Simmons said 11 months after the killing the whole family still mourned Rochelle.

"Rochelle was my baby. There was nothing wrong with my daughter -- we loved her and him. She was a lovely little girl,'' said Mrs. Simmons. "He should be hanged because he took my baby's life,'' she added.

After being sentenced, West refused to co-operate with any appeal saying he wanted to die for what he had done. He told his family if the hangman did not do it, he would.

Mrs. Simmons added: "Rochelle is really haunting him. He will never keep still. He said he took a life and did not want anyone to stick up for him. He will kill himself the first chance he gets and it will all be over for him.

"Everyone still misses Rochelle. She was a sweet little girl to us.''