Centre for Women's Justice response to MOJ murder sentencing consultation

We recently submitted a response to the Ministry of Justice murder sentencing consultation.

We approached the consultation acknowledging the campaigning of bereaved families, in particular the mothers of Ellie Gould and Poppy Waterhouse Devey, to increase sentences for the murder of women in domestic homicide. Ellie and Poppy were young women who were stabbed and killed by their boyfriends in their homes whilst attempting to separate from them. The perpetrators received sentences of 12 and a half years and 16 years respectively. As Carole Gould and Julie Devey have highlighted, there is an absurd disparity in sentencing between knife crime committed in the home in contrast with knife murders that take place in the street, and this could be interpreted as an indication that domestic homicide is not taken as seriously. Indeed, we share the view that murders by domestic abusers who entrap women in relationships, isolate them, terrorise them and ultimately kill if they are attempt to leave, is not treated with the gravity it should be. However, our view, as set out in answer to the consultation questions, is that to increase the minimum tariff for murder with a weapon in the home will have many unintended serious discriminatory consequences.

Such a reform would indirectly discriminate against women who have killed their abusers. Our ‘Women who Kill’ report and the Wade review both show that in the majority of cases where women kill their male partners, the woman has experienced a history of abuse from the deceased, and in most of these cases women use a kitchen knife or other household implement as a weapon.

To read our full response to the consultation, click here