THE half-sister of a five-year-old girl who died after being trapped under water in a freezing river in Worcestershire has told a court their father spoke about going to prison the night before the tragedy.

Birmingham Crown Court has been told that Gabby Grady spent two hours submerged in the river Avon in Evesham stuck in her father’s car after he drove into the water on February 11 last year. She died three days later.

Christopher Grady, aged 42, of no fixed address, denies Gabby’s murder and the attempted murder of his then six-year-old son Ryan Grady, who was rescued from the water.

His daughter Kristie Grady, from a previous marriage, told jurors she feared he was planning to harm Ryan and Gabby’s mother Kim Smith, 37.

She said: “He asked me if I would look after the children if he ever went into prison.

"I thought he was trying to say he was going to hurt Kim.”

The 21-year-old said the first she knew about the river tragedy was when she received a text message from Miss Smith at 9.29am on February 11 which read: “Your dad is killing the kids in the river.”

The trial is not sitting today or tomorrow, but is expected to resume on Friday.