Families of murdered women call for tougher sentences for domestic homicides
“Life without her isn’t a life”: Anthony and Elaine Newborough remember their daughter Meghan
Warning: This article contains details of domestic abuse and violence
Seven bereaved families are gathering in Parliament Square to call for an urgent review of the sentencing guidelines for men who kill their current or former partners at home.
They will be holding black and blue plaques bearing the words: "The same murder outside the home would get a decade more. Murder is murder. Change the law."
In the UK, the sentencing tariff is different for a murder that takes place in the home as opposed to elsewhere.
Perpetrators can face a minimum of 15 years if they kill someone inside a home with a weapon that was already there.
If the weapon was taken to the scene or if the murder was committed outside a home, then the tariff changes to 10 years more, starting at 25 years.
Megan Newborough, the daughter of Anthony and Elaine Newborough, was strangled by her partner Ross McCullam in 2021 after he invited her to his house.
Megan‘s body was found in a country lane in Leicestershire and McCullam received a life sentence with a minimum of 23 years.
Had McCullam murdered a stranger on a street, he would have been sentenced to 25 years minimum.
Megan’s mother, Elaine, told ITV News “he can still go on to have a full life”.
“If Megan had been killed in the garden of his house or out on the drive or out in the street the starting point would have begun at 25 years for what could have been a matter of a step from inside the house to outside, how is that fair, how is that reasonable?”
Her father Anthony added: “The judicial system says it’s intent if you take a knife to the crime, however in our case, he murdered Megan in the lounge, went into a separate room, went into the kitchen to get a knife to nearly decapitate her - and you’re telling me that’s not intent?”
Several other bereaved families will be attending the gathering with plaques dedicated to women and girls killed inside homes.
Poppy Devey Waterhouse, 24, was stabbed more than 20 times by her ex-boyfriend Joe Atkinson days before they moved out of their flat. He was jailed for 15 years.
Ellie Gould, 17, from Calne in Wiltshire was murdered in her parents' kitchen by ex-boyfriend Thomas Griffiths. He was jailed for a minimum of 12 and a half years.
Claire Tavener, 27, was stabbed repeatedly by her husband Andrew Tavener, leaving the couple's young sons to find her fatally injured. He was jailed for 16 years and eight months.
Elinor O'Brien, 22, was fatally stabbed in the groin by boyfriend Kevin Mannion in his Manchester apartment. He was jailed for 23 years.
Julie Butcher, 25, was attacked by her ex-husband Richard Butcher in 2005. He was given a 13 year jail sentence and later released.
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Last year, the Claire Wade review - which the government commissioned to review domestic homicide - closed. This concluded with a recommendation to not raise the tariff for 15 years.
However, after analysing the data, the Conservative government accepted that the starting tariff should be increased to 25 years to align with other murders.
The new Labour government has stated it wants to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.
The charity Killed Women believes they can begin to show their support by moving the starting tariff up immediately.
“All the groundwork has been done. Results analysed. A tougher approach to sentencing has been successful in acting as a deterrent to recent rioters," they said.
"We demand the same logic is applied to these domestic terrorists sending out a strong societal message that Violence Against Women and Girls is abhorrent and the punishment will fit the crime."
If you or somebody you know is affected by domestic abuse, help is available from the following organisations:
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