UK plans tougher sentences for domestic murderers

People who kill a partner or ex-partner at homewith a knife or other weaponcould face an extra 10 years in prison under plans to strengthen sentencing laws, in a bid to tackle violence against women.

For murders where a weapon is taken to the scene with intent to kill, the starting point for the minimum sentence to be served is 25 years.

But in most murders which take place in a home, the weapon - for example, a kitchen knife - is already there, meaning a lower 15-year starting point applies.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it intends to close the 10-year gap so domestic killers face higher sentences.

More than a fifth of all murders are domestic, and women are overwhelmingly the victims in these cases.

There is already a higher starting point of 30 years for murder using a firearm.

Someone convicted of murder receives a mandatory life sentence and judges then set a minimum term.

Deputy Prime Minister David 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."

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

The news was welcomed by Carole Gould, Julie Devey and Elaine Newborough, whose daughters were killed at home by their former partners.

Gould, Devey and Newborough, from charity Killed Women, have been campaigning for years for the minimum sentence for domestic murder to be increased.

In a joint statement, they said: "At last, women's lives are being valued as highly as men's. We have been campaigning relentlessly on this issue for seven years to persuade the state just how dangerous these men are. We have lost our daughters – Poppy, Ellie and Megan – to such men.

"Over seven long years we have met with seven Lord Chancellors, each being sympathetic, but it is this Lord Chancellor, David Lammy MP, who has finally done the right thing.

"What drove us was knowing, categorically, that the current sentencing guidelines are wrong."

The existing 15-year baseline sentence will still apply in cases where a victim of domestic abuse kills their abuser, which the department said was an "important safeguard to further protect victims".

Ellie Butt, head of Policy and Public Affairs at domestic abuse charity Refuge, said the change was "hugely welcome".

She added: "This is both a crucial step towards improved justice for victims and a much-needed acknowledgement of how horrific a crime domestic homicide truly is.

"While longer sentences cannot undo the immeasurable loss and trauma caused by domestic homicide, they are an important step towards delivering justice for bereaved families and sending a clear message that violence against women and girls will not be tolerated."

Butt said they also "welcome the recognition that women who kill their abusers should not be subject to these stronger sentencing provisions".

The government has set a target to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood describing it as a "national emergency" in December.

The Law Commission is currently conducting a review on the sentencing framework for murder, commissioned by the government in December 2024.

Its consultation paper on sentencing is due to be published in summer 2027.