Mothers Win Campaign to Close Sentencing Gap

Published: 01 July 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

The quiet silence inside the ministerial office at the Palace of Westminster felt deeply heavy. Justice Secretary David Lammy sat entirely motionless as the painful reality of grief unfolded here. Two remarkably brave mothers stood directly before him to deliver a deeply personal political message. They placed photographs of their beautiful, vibrant daughters directly onto his large wooden desk. These bright young women had been brutally murdered by partners who once claimed true love. The poignant images captured promising lives that were cut short by horrific domestic violence. Carole Gould calmly explained the tragic story of her teenage daughter to the listening minister. Ellie Gould was only seventeen years old when her young life was taken away forever.

A fellow sixth-former named Thomas Griffiths killed her after she ended their brief relationship. This terrible incident happened during 2019 and changed the family through sudden, intense grief. The young student was attacked inside her own home where she always felt safe. Julie Devey joined this important political meeting remotely through a secure digital video link. She held up a beautiful photograph of her beloved daughter named Poppy Devey Waterhouse. Poppy was twenty-four years old when she was murdered by her former romantic partner. Joe Atkinson committed this terrible crime on the fourteenth of December in late 2018. The brutal nature of the attack left the family completely devastated and seeking justice.

In both tragic cases, these innocent young women were stabbed repeatedly during fatal assaults. Both convicted killers tried desperately to hide their cruel actions from local police forces. However, the British legal system treated these domestic crimes with surprising leniency back then. Because the attacks occurred inside a home, the starting sentence was only fifteen years. This baseline was ten years fewer than if the murders occurred on public streets. Using a weapon already found inside the house resulted in a lighter judicial penalty. The mothers believed this rule implied domestic lives were worth far less to society. Joe Atkinson received a prison sentence fixed at sixteen years for his terrible crime.Thomas Griffiths was sentenced to twelve and a half years for killing young Ellie. These legal outcomes left the families feeling utterly insulted by the British justice system. They could not understand why a domestic murder carried such a significant sentencing discount. Therefore, they decided to launch a powerful campaign to reform these outdated legal guidelines. Carole Gould looked directly into the eyes of the justice minister during their meeting. She asked him to imagine if this terrible tragedy had happened to his daughter. David Lammy has previously spoken about the immense joy of adopting his young daughter. He appeared visibly shocked by the direct question from the grieving mother before him.

The emotional weight of her words clearly resonated deeply with the senior government official. The mothers then presented evidence from recent cases decided early in the year 2026. New judicial measures were supposedly introduced to deliver much longer sentences for domestic murders. Yet, the convicted killers in these recent cases still received surprisingly low prison sentences. Julie Devey pointed out that the current system was still failing to protect victims. Devey told the minister that the current approach was absolutely not working in practice. She directly asked him what specific legal powers he possessed to fix this issue. Lammy insisted that he did have the necessary authority to alter these sentencing frameworks.

Gould then suggested leveling up the baseline sentence to twenty-five years for everyone. Another profound silence filled the room before the politician gave his historic final response. The justice secretary quietly agreed to make the significant legal change they requested immediately. The women looked at each other in absolute disbelief inside the quiet government office. They were completely stunned and wondered if they had heard his words correctly then. Suddenly, the intense emotional pressure broke and they both burst into overwhelming tears. Years of relentless campaigning had finally led to this monumental political breakthrough for them. On Tuesday afternoon, the mothers gathered together inside the public gallery of the Commons.

Elaine Newborough joined them to witness this historic moment for the criminal justice system. Her twenty-three-year-old daughter Megan was murdered by her boyfriend Ross McCullam in 2021. David Lammy stood up at the dispatch box to address the gathered parliament members. He announced that domestic murderers would now face an extra ten years in prison. The mothers held onto each other tightly with tissues clutched in their trembling hands. Their watching families let out a short, deeply cathartic cheer from the high gallery. Elaine Newborough described the intense emotional weight of witnessing this long-awaited legislative change. She noted how amazing it felt, yet expressed deep sadness over the difficult journey.

The mothers felt certain that their late daughters would be incredibly proud of them. The journey to this legislative victory has been long, exhausting, and filled with hurdles. Julie Devey first reached out to Carole Gould after watching her speak on television. They quickly realized they shared the same painful grief and identical goals for justice. The two mothers began working closely together just before the global pandemic struck Britain. This poignant meeting marked the official launch of their campaign group called Killed Women. This unique organization is led entirely by families who have lost women to violence. Former chief executive Anna Ryder played a vital role in building this influential movement.

Under her leadership, the group launched the highly successful campaign called You Were Told. This initiative highlighted systemic failures where authorities routinely ignored clear warning signs of abuse. In 2024, they introduced another crucial initiative known as the Fallen Women national campaign. This effort placed intense pressure on police forces to investigate suspicious deaths more thoroughly. They wanted detectives to examine if domestic abuse occurred before women fell from heights. During that same year, the organization partnered closely with national media outlets like the Guardian. They launched the Killed Women Count campaign to document every single female death accurately. The Invisible Women campaign shed light on deep systemic failures within the justice system.

Member of Parliament Jess Phillips has supported this dedicated group since its very beginning. Julie Devey had originally approached the prominent politician at a public book signing event. The campaigners had previously lobbied Keir Starmer while he led the political opposition party. However, the new measures are still subject to consultation with the independent sentencing council. Domestic Abuse Commissioner Dame Nicole Jacobs expressed some disappointment regarding the recent announcement. She noted that the sentencing increase will not apply if family members commit murder. Despite these gaps, the mothers remain completely determined to keep fighting for wider changes.

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