Former Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was convicted of murder after killing his partner, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day in 2013. He claims he mistook her for an intruder.
After several trials and charges, he was ultimately sentenced to six years for murder in 2016. In November 2017, this more than doubled to 13 years and five months.
This month, after serving half of his sentence, Pistorius believed he became eligible for parole. However, his bid for parole failed.
The BBC reported that Pistorius needed to spend another year and a half in prison before being considered for parole. He will be eligible and able to reapply for parole next year.
Glow Operations Manager, Jackie Capewell (pictured above), has shared her thoughts on the recent news around Pistorius, tougher sentences for perpetrators and reinforced Glow’s support for anyone impacted by domestic abuse.
“As the spotlight shines once again on Oscar Pistorius for the murder of his girlfriend, we are pleased to see that on March 17 the Government announced tougher sentences for domestic abuse perpetrators who kill their partners or ex-partners.
“The law will be changed so a history of coercive or controlling behaviour against the victim, or the use of excessive or gratuitous violence, are made aggravating factors in sentencing decisions for murder.
“This means that violent and controlling perpetrators of domestic abuse will face more time behind bars, as judges must consider longer jail terms for their abuse and aggression.
“The changes follow recommendations made by Clare Wade KC in an independent review into domestic homicide sentencing. Her review found the current sentencing framework does not adequately reflect that many domestic homicides are preceded by years of abuse.
“Around one in four (26%) homicides in England and Wales are committed by a current or former partner or relative. Of the murder cases reviewed by Clare Wade over half (51%) involved controlling or coercive behaviour. Excessive violence, or overkill, was identified in 60%, with men being the perpetrator in all but one case.
“Violence against women and girls is a serious problem. At Glow we see this every single day, but we’re also seeing it more and more in the mainstream media too.
“No matter how much we help those affected, we’ll never end domestic abuse until we address it at the source.
“That’s why at Glow, alongside our support for victims, we’re also educating young people and working with perpetrators to make them accountable. By doing this we are addressing domestic abuse at the source and creating real, lasting change.
“We’re committed to doing absolutely everything we can to make sure people feel safe in their relationships. We’ll continue to fight for change and work towards our mission of a future free from abuse.
“If you need support, get in touch with our team. We’re here for you.”
Worried about abuse in your own relationship? Need support or advice? Click here to get in touch.
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