Alan Henning's wife sends desperate appeal to Islamic State captors

Barbara Henning said her plea for Alan released is joined by 'Muslims across the globe'

Video report from ITV News Correspondent Juliet Bremner

The wife of British aid worker Alan Henning has recorded a desperate appeal to Islamic State (IS) militants urging his immediate release.

Visibly distraught, and reading from a sheet of paper, Barbara Henning said she hoped her husband's captors would "open their hearts and minds to the truth about Alan's humanitarian motives".

Barbara said she had not had any contact with Alan Henning, or with his captors, apart from an audio recording of her husband begging for his life.

She told BBC News that she hoped that "those who wish to be seen as a state will act in a statesmanlike way by showing mercy and providing clemency".

She also recorded a message addressing her husband directly:

Alan Henning, 47, was detained shortly after crossing the Turkish border into Syria as part of a humanitarian aid convoy.

The former taxi driver from the Manchester area was threatened in a video released by IS which purported to show the murder of fellow British hostage David Haines.