Deputy Prime Minister sets out new sentencing start point for domestic murder, recognising seriousness of violence against women and girls.
The government had announced that it will close a loophole in the law that differentiates between two kinds of murder.
Under current legislation, where a murderer takes a weapon to the scene with intent to use it, the starting point for sentencing is 25 years. But murder in a domestic setting, using a weapon already at the scene, has a sentencing start point of 15 years.
Campaigners, including Carole Gould and Julie Devey and Elaine Newborough, have long argued that domestic murder should receive equal weighting under the law. ‘If the starting point for sentencing is lower,’ Ms Dewey told the BBC last year, ‘then it is immediately diminishing the lives of those women who have their lives ripped away from them.’
According to the government, more than one-fifth of all murders in the UK, and the vast majority of victims are women.
David Lammy, the Deputy Prime Minister said the change will be made as soon as possible, though it will be subject to consultation with the Sentencing Council. Further changes to policy, including where children commit murder, will be announced in due course.
The Law Commission is also undertaking a review of homicide law and sentencing, which will conclude in 2028.
David Lammy MP, Deputy Prime Minister, says: ‘For centuries, the law failed to protect women from violence at the hands of their partner – whether from marital rape or from abuse behind closed doors. Whilst we’ve made significant progress, we need to continue righting these wrongs.
‘This change closes a long overdue gap and will ensure those who murder their partner face sentences that better reflect the devastating harm they cause. I pay tribute to Carole Gould, Julie Devey and Elaine Newborough whose courageous campaign will help future mothers, daughters and wives get the justice they deserve.’
Photo by Matthew Ansley / Unsplash
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