Change in law for domestic homicides

[WrongKindOfFeminist]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/domestic-murder-sentencing-david-lammy-37363428

Well done to the mothers of these girls for a long and determined campaign to win this law change. Heartbreaking reasons for the campaign.

'Under current laws, most domestic murders have a 15-year sentencing starting point because they happen in the home. However murders where a weapon is taken to the scene carry a minimum 25 year sentence.'

Statement from the mothers:

'At last, women’s lives are being valued as highly as men’s. Since around most 70 per cent of victims of homicide in the home are women, it has long been unjust that those who murder them routinely receive substantially lighter sentences simply because the murder weapon, such as a kitchen knife, was already there rather than brought to the scene.
We have been campaigning relentlessly on this issue for seven years, to persuade the State just how dangerous these men are. We have lost our daughters – Poppy, Ellie and Megan – to such men. Anyone who can murder someone they once loved – often the mother of their children – using such extreme violence is clearly a serious threat, not only to other women but to the public. We welcome the Government’s decision to keep these perpetrators in prison for longer, as an important step towards protecting women and to achieving their promise to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.
To make our case we have had many meetings in Parliament, with the VAWG sector and with those who work in Criminal Law. We feel that finally, after lots of heads being nodded and warm words spoken without action, we are seeing the fruits of our heartbreaking and unwanted labour. Over seven long years we have met with seven Lord Chancellors, each being sympathetic, but it is this Lord Chancellor, David Lammy MP, who has finally done the right thing. What drove us was knowing, categorically, that the current sentencing guidelines are wrong. Our daughters’ lives were taken in brutal ways, just as other women are killed every week inside their home, the place they were entitled to feel safe. The sentencing guidelines and statutory schedules failed to properly reflect this gross aggravating factor.
We therefore look forward to seeing the current minimum starting point of 15 years being raised to 25 years and being implemented in courtrooms as soon as possible. It is now time for judges to step up and fully recognise the dangerous nature of these murderers and to impose sentences that reflect the gravity of these crimes, in the interests of the public and of women all over the country, and in memory of our daughters – Poppy, Ellie and Megan.'

https://www.killedwomen.org/

And on this, well done, David Lammy.

Notes from the mothers' website:

'- This change to the law is subject to consultation with the Sentencing Council.

• This measure will be introduced as soon as possible.
• Further policy details, including the application to children who murder, will be outlined in due course.
• The new starting point will apply to future murders after the date of implementation and will not be applied retrospectively.
• This work is being conducted alongside the Law Commission’s review of homicide law and sentencing, to address the disparity as quickly as possible, ahead of the review’s conclusion in 2028.'

Women will be watching, and hold them to their word.

Thank you.

'Under current laws, most domestic murders have a 15-year sentencing starting point because they happen in the home. However murders where a weapon is taken to the scene carry a minimum 25 year sentence.'

I was shocked when I realised this - I had no idea the courts were using different sentencing guidelines because of this. Well done all who have campaigned

Relevant section of law, as far as I can tell:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2020/17/schedule/21

So, irrespective of location, in fact, men who kill women were being given a lesser punishment than men who kill other men, because women are easier to kill, making it less likely that aggravating factors (like carrying a weapon or going mob-handed) would be present.

We don't apply this reasoning to the killing of children. And concentrating on weapons misses the point. Men can kill women with their bare hands. So any man who has killed one woman represents an ongoing danger to every woman. Sentencing should reflect that.

'the offence is normally to be regarded as sufficiently serious for the appropriate starting point, in determining the minimum term, to be 25 years.

(2)The offence falls within this sub-paragraph if the offender took a knife or other weapon to the scene intending to—

(a)commit any offence, or

(b)have it available to use as a weapon,

and used that knife or other weapon in committing the murder. '

That's paragraph 4 of the bit I link to upthread.

I assume 'taking a weapon to the scene' is supposed to be part of intent.

Perhaps the law hadn't been taking into account the very different motivations, dynamics, risk, and consequences between a man going out to murder someone, and a man murdering his partner/wife.

They seem potentially very different crimes, although both murder.

Thank you for highlighting this and for the tremendous hard work and achievement of these women. Awful that it was needed.

Not often that I’m pleased to see something David Lammy and Labour have done but this is good to see. Amazing women, keeping on for all those years.

Well done to these women, campaigning to highlight a gross injustice, whilst dealing with the grief of losing their daughters. Brave women.

Typical Labour virtue signalling idiocy. I think posters welcoming this are being duped.

Of course we want to punish DV killers. But not many of them are going to stop and think and decide not to kill because they might get another 10 years!! So it will have zero practical impact.

This proposal is just a sop to women and we should resist it. They'll point to this when we ask why they don't do more.

We need to PREVENT DV not just punish it when it's too late.