ENGLAND AND WALES — Offenders in England and Wales who murder a current or former intimate partner now face a minimum sentence of 25 years. Justice Secretary David Lammy announced the change on a Monday. This new minimum sentence increases the previous starting point for most domestic murders by 10 years.

The sentencing adjustment follows a seven-year campaign advocating for alterations to the minimum sentence for domestic murder. Under existing law, the starting point for most domestic murders is 15 years, primarily because these incidents often occur in the home with a weapon already present. In contrast, cases where a weapon is brought to the scene with intent typically carry a starting point of 25 years for murder sentences.

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." Lammy paid tribute to Carole Gould, Julie Devey, and Elaine Newborough, the mothers of murdered women. Ellie Gould, a sixth-form student, was 17 years old when her ex-boyfriend, Thomas Griffiths, murdered her on May 3, 2019. Poppy Devey-Waterhouse, a quantitative trading analyst, was 24 years old when her ex-boyfriend, Joe Atkinson, murdered her on December 14, 2018. Megan Newborough was murdered by her boyfriend, Ross McCullam, on August 6, 2021.

The charity Killed Women issued a statement on behalf of the mothers. The statement said, "At last, women's lives are being valued as highly as men's. Since around 70% of victims of homicide in the home are women, 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. What drove us was knowing, categorically, that the current sentencing guidelines are wrong." The sentencing change is subject to consultation with the Sentencing Council.

More than one-fifth of all murders are domestic, with women forming the majority of victims. Refuge welcomed the increase in sentencing. However, Refuge also called on the government to review partial defenses that perpetrators use to obtain a lesser manslaughter conviction instead of a murder conviction. Jacobs stated, "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." Mark Day, deputy director of the Prison Reform Trust, commented that Lammy's announcement had pre-empted the Law Commission's detailed review of homicide offenses. Day warned that the change would increase pressure on the prison system, which is currently managing rising prisoner numbers. The existing 15-year starting point for sentences will continue to apply when a victim of domestic abuse kills their abuser.