Murderers who kill partners at home to have sentences hiked by an extra 10 years
Murderers who kill their partners or ex-partners at home could face an extra decade in prison in new plans intended to close a sentencing gap.
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Domestic murders carry a starting point of 15 years due to the fact that they take place mostly with a weapon likely already at the scene.
This rises to 25 years for murders committed using weapons which were brought to the scene with intent.
Working with the Sentencing Council, the Ministry of Justice is set to close the gaps by hiking
Most domestic murders have a 15-year sentencing starting point under the current law because they take place in the home with a weapon most likely already at the scene.
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But for murders where a weapon is taken to the scene with intent, the starting point is 25 years.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it is consulting with the Sentencing Council to close the 10-year gap and treat domestic murders with the same severity.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said: “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.”
More than a fifth of all murders are domestic, and overwhelmingly women are the victims in these cases, the MoJ said.
Carole Gould, Julie Devey and Elaine Newborough, from the charity Killed Women, said the Government has “finally done the right thing”.
The trio, who are the mothers of three young women killed in their homes by former partners, said in a statement: “At last, women’s lives are being valued as highly as men’s.
“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.
“We feel that finally, after lots of heads nodding and warm words without action, we are seeing the fruits of our heart-breaking 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.”
Mr Lammy added: “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.”