Mother of Somerset woman stabbed to death by ex-boyfriend launches campaign for tougher sentencing
The mother of a young woman from Somerset who was stabbed death by her jealous ex-boyfriend has launched a campaign for tougher sentences.
Poppy Devey Waterhouse was murdered by Joe Atkinson after she broke up with him in the Autumn of 2018.
The incident took place at the flat they shared on the outskirts of Leeds' city centre.
Poppy suffered more than 100 injuries, including 49 knife wounds.
But had the stabbing taken place on the street, it is likely he would have been jailed for at least 25 years.
However, due to the attack taking place in their home, he was jailed for a minimum term of 15 years in prison.
It is because of that 10 year difference that Poppy's mother, Julie, says rules around sentencing need to be changed.
At school, Poppy was voted the student most likely to change the world but now her mother hopes she can change the law in her daughter's memory.
The 25-year minimum sentence for fatal street stabbings was introduced after a series of incidents more than a decade ago.
The Government is now reviewing sentencing guidelines but they are unlikely to bridge the ten-year gap which has prompted Julie's campaign.
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