Jade Ward’s family has expressed their “overjoyed” feelings after changes were made to parental rights laws in her name. Jade was killed in 2021 by Russell Marsh, her former partner. Marsh was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison. Under current laws, killers are consulted on decisions that affect their children’s health, education, and travel. But the change, known as “Jade’s Law,” automatically suspends parental responsibility when a mother or father is serving time for killing the person with whom they shared that responsibility, eliminating the need for family members to apply to the court to remove the parental rights of the killer.
Jade’s mother, Karen Robinson, said that she was proud of everyone who had been part of the Jade’s Law campaign, from those who signed the petition to those who sent supportive messages. “We were going through such trauma, but I couldn’t leave Jade’s death in vain,” she said. Jade’s murder had revealed an injustice the campaign exposed in the system.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hailed the announcement as necessary after an “awful crime.” Marsh had continued to contact the Ward family for photographs and school reports despite serving a life sentence for the killing. Families in the future will not have to go through what Karen and Paul endured after Jade’s death, according to Edwin Duggan, a Ward family friend and campaigner for Jade’s Law.
Labour MP for Alyn and Deeside, Mark Tami, who supported the family’s campaign, welcomed the decision, stating that he was pleased the government had ultimately changed its mind. The Ministry of Justice had rejected an amendment to a Bill in July suspending the rights of killer parents in prison.
Jade’s Law will be presented to Parliament as part of the Victims and Prisoners Bill before the end of the year. There will be an exemption for parents who kill their partner in a relationship with a history of domestic abuse. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk recognized the campaign, stating that the Ministry of Justice was “eager to go further.” He added that murderers who kill their partners should not be able to control their children from behind bars
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More