Daughter of woman murdered by her partner speaks out about the impact domestic violence has on children
Video report by ITV News Anglia's Matthew Hudson
The daughter of a woman from Milton Keynes who was murdered by her abusive partner has been speaking out about the impact domestic violence has on children.
Kirstie McDonough was just 12-years-old when her mum Natalie Hemming was killed by her partner Paul Hemming. Despite having the same surname, the pair were not married.
Paul Hemming violently beat mother-of-three Natalie in the lounge of their home on 1 May, while their children slept upstairs.
Natalie, who was 31, suffered a fractured skull and broken arm in the savage attack as she tried to ward off blow after blow.
Mr Hemming was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 20 years.
Kirstie now lives with her mum's sister Joanne Beverley in West Yorkshire.
She is a patron of Operation Encompass, an initiative that directly connects the police with schools to secure better outcomes for children who are subject or witness to police-attended incidents of domestic abuse.
She is also a domestic abuse ambassador at her school, working to ensure the same fate does not happen to anyone else.