Families of women murdered in domestic violence attacks met outside parliament today to lobby the government to fix the injustice of homicide sentencing. In most circumstances, if someone is killed inside their own home the murderer's sentencing starting point is 15 years – 10 years fewer than if they had killed the same person in the street.
Campaign group Killed Women, made up of bereaved family members, stood shoulder to shoulder on the lawn in Westminster holding blue plaques embossed with their loved ones' names, which had yesterday been affixed to the homes they were killed in. Each one also included their lifespan and the words “killed here”, along with the sentence given to the killer and the words ‘“Murder is murder, change the law”.
Killed Women was started by Julie Devey and Carole Gould, who were brought together by the devastating loss of their daughters, magnified by the injustice of watching their killers get sentenced to a decade less than if they had been murdered by a stranger outside the home.
READ MORE: Friend of Miss Switzerland shares warning signs her 'killer' displayed before her death
Julie’s daughter Poppy Devey Waterhouse was 24 when she was stabbed dozens of times by her ex Joe Atkinson in 2018, and he was sentenced to just 16 years and two months in jail. “We want the symbolism of these plaques to raise this issue in the House of Commons ,” says Julie, who is from Frome, Somerset. “While this won’t bring our loved one’s home, at the very least, families of future victims will be consoled by the knowledge that justice has been served.”
Carole’s daughter Ellie, 17, was strangled then stabbed 13 times by boyfriend Thomas Griffith in 2019. He was locked up for a measly minimum term of 12 years, six months. “If somebody stabbed somebody once in a park that’s worth 25 years. Surely multiple stabbing in the home should be worth at least the same starting point," says Carole, 53, and from Calne, Wiltshire.
She added, “It feels to me that it’s male on male violence in the street and their lives are worth more. Whereas it’s male on female violence in the home – and those female lives are worth 10 years less.”
Both Poppy and Ellie are commemorated on plaques which had been temporarily put on the site of their murders. The other five honour Julie Butcher, 25, from Swindon, Elinor O’Brien, 22, from Manchester, Jan Mustafa, 38, from London, Megan Newborough, 23, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, and Claire Tavener (née Willmott), from Nailsea, Somerset.
The Mirror’s Justice For Our Daughters campaign has been calling for this disparity to end as one of our four key demands, and in June the Tory government pledged to change the law. The Mirror stands with Killed Women in calling for the government to honour the previous Conservative administration’s commitment to change the law.
“The Government showed a refreshing approach to the riots this summer and we want this issue to be granted the same attention, in honouring the pledges made by the previous Government,” says Julie.
Anthony Newborough, whose daughter Megan Newborough was fatally strangled in 2021 by lab worker Ross McCullum who then used a knife to saw at her neck, says “We need action and we need action sooner, as opposed to later. When Labour were in opposition, we met up with them and they were really keen to get this through. So now they're in power, we need to see them be true to their word and put this into legislation to get this law changed.”
Jess Phillips MP, who every year reads a list out in parliament of the women killed by men, told the Mirror: “These families will always be in the ear of this government to ensure that we are hearing the stories of these women. The Killed Women mean a huge amount to me and will always have my support.”
Alex Davies-Jones, Minister for Victims & Violence Against Women and Girls, added: “We are here today to listen to their stories and honour the women that have been killed. We have recognised that this is a national emergency in this country and we need to do more to try and tackle this. We are working across the government to achieve that aim.”
READ MORE: Amazon Prime Big Deals Day: Everything we know including dates and early discounts
