"Huge sense of relief" Parents of murdered school girl Ellie Gould win sentencing fight

  • Watch David Wood's report

The family of a murdered teenager from Wiltshire say they believe she'd be proud of their successful campaign to strengthen sentencing laws.

17-year-old Ellie Gould from Calne was killed by her ex-boyfriend who was the same age in 2019.

As a teenager, Thomas Griffiths was sentenced to 12 and a half years - a sentence Ellie's mother Carole Gould says is too short.

Now the new 'Ellie's Law', named after the Wiltshire teenager, means teenage killers could face sentences of up to 27 years.

Carole Gould says their family are feeling a "huge sense of relief" now this law has been approved.

"We always had hanging over us that in four years time we were going to face a process where Griffiths could potentially get his sentencing reduced," Carole told ITV News.

"We were just devastated that our daughter's life was only worth 12 and a half years as it was. The thought of having that reduced even further was just heartbreaking."

Carole Gould has been campaigning for a change in the law since the sentencing of her daughter's killer. Credit: ITV News

Ellie Gould was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend Thomas Griffiths at her home in Calne on 3 May 2019. Griffiths was five months away from turning 18.

He was jailed for a minimum of 12 and a half years at Bristol Crown Court in November 2019.

This change in the law, announced by Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, is the culmination of a two-year campaign by Ellie's parents.


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