THE PARENTS of murdered East Lancashire nurse Jane Clough said a television programme recounting her death was ‘hard to watch’.

Channel 5 documentary Countdown to Murder, which aired on Thursday night, focused on the death of Jane.

The episode, Stalked to Death, featured a hard-hitting reconstruction of the events leading up to Jane’s murder, by former partner Jonathan Vass in Blackpool Victoria Hospital car park in July 2010.

Her parents, John and Penny Clough, from Barrowford, were interviewed for the programme earlier this year, along with former Lancashire Telegraph crime reporter Sam Chadderton.

Mr Clough said: “It was very emotive. It was hard to watch but it captured Vass as he was really like.

“They were up front with us from the start and said they would be doing some reconstruction but we didn’t expect it to be quite so graphic.

“It showed the true reality of Vass and what happened though, and we have had hundreds of messages of support since it aired.”

Mr Clough said he hoped the programme would have a positive influence on others who may find themselves in the same situation.

He said: “The reconstruction scenes probably added to the shock of what happened for people hearing about it for the first time.

“It puts it back in the spotlight. If just one person watches it and sees similarities between Vass’s controlling behaviour and their partner, and it makes them think about their relationship, and possibly avoid ending up like Jane, then it will have been a success.”

Vass struck while he was on bail for raping Jane. He was jailed for a minimum of 30 years.

Following her death, Mr and Mrs Clough set up the Justice for Jane campaign and last year, the Government moved to amend the law on bail to allow prosecutors to challenge judges' bail decisions in the Court of Appeal.

The amendment to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill was dubbed ‘Jane's Law’.