'He came into her life and destroyed it': Mothers of murder victims call for tougher sentencing
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A Somerset woman whose daughter was stabbed to death by an ex-boyfriend is calling for tougher sentencing for domestic homicide.
Julie Devey and the mothers of two other murder victims have united in their call for tougher laws, after their daughter's killers were given sentences that they felt were too lenient.
Ellie Gould, Meghan Newborough and Poppy Devey Waterhouse were all violently murdered in their 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.
Meghan Newborough, 23, was murdered by work colleague Ross McCullum at his parents home after they'd started a relationship. He was jailed for a minimum term of 23 years.
Their killers were all given reduced life sentences as the girls were murdered with weapons from within their homes.
The Ministry of Justice is working on changing the law so those who murder their partners at the end of a relationship face longer behind bars.
Last weekend, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced mandatory whole life orders, vowing to keep the most heinous criminals behind bars.
In response their mothers, who don't think it goes far enough, have published an open letter to the government, calling for longer domestic homicide sentences.
It reads: "These men are also the most despicable criminals and just plain evil like the ones you want to serve a whole life order, yet they never qualify for even an uplift to a minimum of a 25-year prison sentence under current laws.
"We need social change in the form of robust sentencing for all murders and a strong message that violence against women and girls will be treated with the utmost seriousness."
In response to the letter Carole Gould, Ellie's mum, said: "Ellie was literally at home revising for her A-levels and he did that after a three-month relationship.
"He came into our lives, he came into her life and destroyed it."
Julie Devey, Poppy's mother added: "Coming up to five years later, it destroys you as a person, as a family.
"The murders of some of these women are absolutely horrendous and yet their starting term tariff is 15 years compared to 25 years had the murder taken place outside of the home.
"If you can kill somebody face to face, which is what's happening where women are either strangled or turned over and stabbed, you're looking in the face of your victim.
"Somebody you loved, somebody you'd started a relationship with and if you can do that you're a very very dangerous person."
The women are calling for change to protect people like their daughters from such crimes.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: "These were horrific crimes and our thoughts remain with the families of Ellie Gould, Poppy Devey Waterhouse and Megan Newborough. "Cases such as these are exactly why we are changing the law so cowards who murder their partners at the end of a relationship face longer behind bars."
The government recently announced the overhaul of laws to protect women from domestic killers and a consultation on this will be part of that.
Announcing the consultation they said: "Research shows that around one in four homicides are committed by a current or former partner or relative.
"Recognising the complex nature of murder sentencing, Ministers will also expand a planned consultation on a 25-year starting point for domestic murders with a history of controlling or coercive behaviour to include murders using a knife or other weapon found at the scene.
"This will seek the public's views on the current difference between sentences for murder where a knife is brought to the scene compared, for example, to one already in the home."