‘Black and blue plaques’ launched to drive change in UK domestic homicide laws

Plaques unveiled by Killed Women

Credit: Campaigners from Killed Women and MPs gather outside the House of Commons

News


‘Black and blue plaques’ launched to drive change in UK domestic homicide laws

By Jessica Burrell

7 months ago

2 min read

A woman is killed every three days by a man in the UK, often in a domestic setting. But outdated laws mean their killers are sentenced to less time than those who murder on the streets. The Killed Women organisation is campaigning to change this, unveiling ‘black and blue plaques’ that commemorate victims and highlight this sentencing disparity.


You may have spotted blue plaques on certain buildings around London – the circular signs that highlight where notable figures from the past lived and worked. But this week, an organisation called Killed Women has launched a series of ‘black and blue plaques’, which mark the houses where women have been killed, as well as the sentence received by their murderer.

This campaign has been launched to drive changes to the UK’s outdated and misogynistic domestic homicide laws, which see perpetrators receiving shorter sentences if they kill at home using a weapon kept there. On average in the UK, the minimum prison term received in these cases is around 10 years less than those where people are killed outside the home. 

According to Killed Women, an organisation and network for bereaved families, one woman is killed every three days by a man in the UK – and the perpetrator is most often someone the victim knows. The organisation was co-founded by Julie Devey and Carole Gould, who started campaigning for change after the brutal murders of their daughters, Poppy Devey Waterhouse and Ellie Gould. With violence against women and girls reaching epidemic levels, their fight has never been more urgent. 

“Sadly, women being murdered by men in the home is not going to end,” says Devey. “Even though many murders are preventable – as the killers usually have a prior history of abuse – the final indignity is delivered in sentencing when the murderers receive an average of 10 years less than for murders outside. This must stop. The minimum term must represent the crime and shouldn’t be determined by the location.”

'Black and blue plaques' launched by Killed Women

Credit: Killed Women

Killed Women is calling for Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood (the lord chancellor and secretary of state for justice) to include this crucial issue on the government’s agenda. This follows a public consultation opened by the Conservative government earlier in 2024, which confirmed that sentencing for domestic homicides with the murder taking place inside the home would rise to 25 years.

Urging the Labour government to commit to this and honour the pledge made by the Conservatives, Killed Women representatives and victims’ relatives gathered at the Houses of Parliament alongside MPs including Jess Phillips. They held the plaques that commemorate the women they knew and loved: Julie Butcher, Poppy Devey Waterhouse, Elinor O’Brien, Ellie Gould, Jan Mustafa, Megan Newborough and Claire Tavener, all of whom were murdered at home across the UK.

Alongside the women’s names, lifespans and the unjust sentences received by their killers, the plaques also bear the words ‘Murder is murder, change the law’. Let’s hope this powerful message is heard by all, but most importantly those in office at the House of Commons.

The UK domestic violence helpline is 0808 2000 247. Alternatively, contact Women’s Aid or Refuge for advice and support.


Images: Killed Women

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