A wealthy antiques dealer has been jailed for at least 24 years for strangling his seven-year-old daughter to death.

Robert Peters, 56, strangled Sophia with a dressing gown cord while alone with her at his family home in Wimbledon last November.

Afterwards, he called 999 to report what he had done and the child was rushed to hospital, but died the following day.

The killing came just over a month after Peters was found not to be a risk by a child protection team.

Peters had recently ended a two-and-a-half-year affair with a married Home Office official he met online.

He was also worrying about his finances and claimed his Kensington-based oriental antiques business was going bankrupt, even though he drove a Jaguar car and had money in the bank.

In the months before the killing, Peters searched the internet for "serial killers", "treatment of child killers in prison" and "premeditated murder".

He chose his opportunity to kill her before she was due to return to her £5,000-a-term boarding school after the half-term break.

Peters waited until his wife had gone out before he woke Sophia up in bed by tying a cord around her neck and strangling her for up to half an hour.

Following his arrest, Peters admitted not being a "good father" and said he had been suffering a breakdown.

Peters had pleaded guilty manslaughter but denied murder, claiming he was hearing voices at the time.

But three days into his Old Bailey trial, he dramatically changed his plea, watched by Sophia's mother Krittiya - his third wife - and other family members.