Today, 30th June, the government has announced that it intends to increase the minimum sentence length for offenders who kill their partner or ex partner from 15 years to 25 years.
Responding to the announcement the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Dame Nicole Jacobs, said:
“For too long abusers who kill have not faced a punishment that reflects the full gravity of their crimes. This welcome change is a testament to all the bereaved families who have fought tirelessly to deliver justice for their loved ones. I’m also pleased to see the government include safeguards so victims who kill their perpetrators following prolonged abuse will not face longer sentences.
“I am however disappointed that this increase won’t apply when a victim is killed by a family member. It’s no less heinous a crime when a parent is killed by their child or someone is a victim of so-called ‘honour’ based abuse by a relative.
“I urge the government to ensure there is fairness in sentencing across all domestic homicides. Tackling the epidemic of domestic abuse and gender-based violence will not be achieved if we do things in half measures.”