AN organisation is launching the ‘black and blue plaques’ to drive change in UK domestic homicide sentencing laws following the murders of Poppy Devey-Waterhouse, Frome and Claire Tavener, Nailsea.

‘Killed Women’ is asking the Government to change the “outdated and misogynistic UK domestic homicide sentencing laws in support of murdered women and their families”.

On average, in the UK perpetrators who kill in the home using a weapon kept in the home receive a sentence with a minimum prison term (starting tariff) before being considered for parole, of around ten years less than those killed out of home, due to out-of-date laws.

One woman is killed every three days by a man in the UK - most of which are murdered by people they know, and the murders are generally horrific in nature and involve overkill.

However, the final blow for families is often in the sentencing, when the criminal justice system deems their loved ones’, lives are worth ten years less.

Killed Women, a network of families affected by such tragedies, calls for Sir Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood - Lord Chancellor of Great Britain - to include this crucial issue on the Government’s agenda as it returns from summer recess.

Following a review by Clare Wade KC, The Conservative Government opened a public consultation on the starting tariff for such murderers, which closed in March 2024.

The analysis of the data collected from this consultation led to confirmation that sentencing for domestic homicides with the murder taking place inside the home would rise to 25 years.

This was reaffirmed in the Conservatives 2024 election manifesto.

Julie Devey and Carole Gould are the co-founders of Killed Women.

(Image: Killed Women)

They started campaigning for change following the brutal murders of their daughters, Poppy Devey Waterhouse (24) and Ellie Gould (17), by their ex-boyfriends.

Both women’s perpetrators received a starting tariff that was significantly less than if the women had been murdered out of the home - meaning their murderers will serve less time in prison before being considered for parole.

Many of the families involved in Killed Women feel let down by the judicial system or the victims' cries for help were not answered.

The campaigning organisation is driving for change in the disparity of the starting tariffs of these murderers who kill in the home along with the attitudes and policies to protect women from habitual abusers.

Julie Devey said: “Sentencing for women murdered in the home by a domestic weapon is unfair. Currently, murderers receive around ten years less in prison for killing in the home than they do if they kill on the street - which is insulting to the victims and their families.

“Sadly, women being murdered by men in the home is not going to end.

“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 ten years less than for murders outside.

“This must stop. The minimum term must represent the crime and shouldn’t be determined by the location.

“We want the symbolism of these plaques to raise this issue in the House of Commons.

“The Government showed a refreshing approach to the riots this summer and we want this issue to be granted the same attention, in honouring the pledges made by the previous Government.

“While this won’t bring our loved one’s home, at the very least, families of future victims will be consoled by the knowledge that justice has been served.”

Each bespoke plaque will include each woman's name, their life span, and then the words;' killed here’, the sentence given, and ‘Murder is murder, change the law.’

Killed Women also said they are “calling the new Labour Government to fulfil the Conservative promise to update these outdated and misogynistic laws to better support murdered women and their families”.