Domestic abusers who kill their partners to face tougher sentences
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Campaigners highlighted the case of Poppy Waterhouse, 24, whose ex-boyfriend inflicted more than 100 injuries but was jailed for just 16 years.
By Charles Hymas
Domestic abusers who kill their partners face a minimum of 25 years in jail under plans to end ‘soft’ sentences for domestic homicide.
Ministers are proposing a shake-up under which killers with a history of coercive or controlling behaviour against their victims will face tougher sentences.
The use of excessive or gratuitous violence will also be made an aggravating factor in sentencing decisions for murder, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced.
The changes to the law follow a review by Clare Wade, King’s Counsel (KC), who was defence barrister for Sally Challen, the first woman to have her conviction for murdering her husband quashed under coercive control laws.
Ms Wade found that the current sentencing system failed to take account of the fact that many domestic homicides are preceded by years of abuse.
Justice Secreta...
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