A legal loophole that has meant murderers who kill their partner or ex at home face less time in prison is to be closed in a ‘long overdue’ move.
Currently, sentencing guidelines for murders depend on whether a weapon has been brought to the scene – which demonstrates the crime was committed with intent.
But in most cases of domestic murder, the weapon is most likely already at the scene, such as a knife taken from the kitchen.
As a result, the typical sentencing starting point for domestic killers is 15 years compared to 25 years in other circumstances.
Campaigners Julie Devey, Carole Gould and Elaine Newborough have spent years calling for the change through Killed Women, the group they co-founded.
Julie’s daughter Poppy Devey Waterhouse was killed by her ex-boyfriend Joe Atkinson in 2018 after their relationship broke down. She was 24 years old.
Atkinson was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 15 years and 310 days.
Ellie Gould, Carole’s daughter, was 17 when she was stabbed to death at home by Thomas Griffiths, also 17 at the time, after she ended the relationship.
Due to his age, Griffiths got was handed life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years and six months – a more lenient sentence than an adult would have received.
Elaine’s daughter Megan Newborough, 23, was killed by her boyfriend Ross McCullam after he invited her to his home in Leicestershire. He was jailed for at least 23 years in December 2022.
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Carole and Julie previously successfully campaigned to have aggravating factors added to sentencing law including coercive and controlling behaviour prior to the death.
In a statement, the three women thanked Justice Secretary David Lammy for bringing in the change, saying it ‘finally aligns the starting point for murders committed in the home with those committed in the street’.
They said: ‘We have been campaigning relentlessly on this issue for seven years to persuade the State just how dangerous these men are. We have lost our daughters – Poppy, Ellie and Megan – to such men.
‘Anyone who can murder someone they once loved — often the mother of their children — using such extreme violence is clearly a serious threat, not only to other women but to the public.
‘We welcome the government’s decision to keep these perpetrators in prison for longer, as an important step towards protecting women and to achieve their promise to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.’
Lammy paid tribute to Carole, Julie and Elaine, saying their ‘courageous campaign will help future mothers, daughters and wives get the justice they deserve’.
He added: ‘This change closes a long overdue gap and will ensure those who murder their partner face sentences that better reflect the devastating harm they cause.’
According to the Ministry of Justice, more than a fifth of all murders are domestic and women are overwhelmingly the victims in these cases.
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