Domestic murder sentence plans 'huge step forward'

The mother of a teenage girl who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend says a government proposal to pass tougher sentences for domestic killers is a "huge step forward".

Carole Gould OBE campaigned for the change after her 17-year-old daughter Ellie was murdered at her home in Calne, Wiltshire, by her ex-boyfriend Thomas Griffiths in May 2019. He was given a life sentence and told he would serve at least 12-and-a-half years in prison after he pleaded guilty to her murder.

On Monday, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced people who kill a partner or ex-partner at home could face an extra 10 years in prison.

The plans form part of the government's aim to halve violence against women and girls.

Under current laws, murderers who take a weapon to a scene with the intent to kill must be sentenced to the minimum starting point of 25 years.

However, for murders committed in a home where the weapon is already there, like a kitchen knife, a lower 15-year starting point applies.

The MoJ said it intended to close the gap so domestic killers faced sentences of the same severity as other murderers.

According to the government agency, more than a fifth of all murders are domestic and women are overwhelmingly the victims in such cases.

Gould has campaigned for tougher laws since her daughter's death.

In 2021, she successfully campaigned for Ellie's Law, which resulted in tougher sentences for teenage killers like Griffiths, who received a more lenient sentence due to his age.

She also co-founded the charity Killed Women, which is calling for an end to violence against women and girls.

Gould said the MoJ's proposal showed "respect to women's lives".

"It will always seem so unjust and immoral that there was a 10 year disparity between a murder that happened in the home with two people that had been in a relationship as opposed to a murder that happened in the street.

"No life is worth more than another," she said.

Gould added that the proposed law change would have more than doubled Griffiths' sentence.

"I think what this is now reflecting is just how dangerous these individuals are... this is certainly a positive step forward because it's keeping these dangerous men off the streets for longer, which is, I think, what we're all very grateful for," she said.

The law change is subject to consultation with the Sentencing Council, but the MoJ said it would be introduced "as soon as possible".

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