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Caroline Eshghi, a woman from Cornwall, has spoken out in anger after her birth mother, Melanie Burmingham, was released from prison after serving just eight months of a 20-month sentence. Eshghi’s mother had been convicted of subjecting her to severe and sustained abuse during her childhood, including beatings, burning, and starvation. A judge described the treatment Eshghi endured as a “dreadful catalogue of cruelty and abuse” spanning 12 years.
Eshghi’s traumatic experiences took place in several locations, including Bristol, Somerset, and Wiltshire, throughout the 1970s and 80s. She detailed some of the horrific acts she suffered, saying that from a very young age her mother would hold her head underwater and use her hand as an ashtray, forcing her to keep it extended overnight or face having cigarettes extinguished on it. One of her earliest memories is being violently thrown around a house, leading to physical injury. At around 12 years old, her mother began punishing her with a walking stick, striking her back while she knelt on the floor. Eshghi reported the abuse to the police in 2019, which led to a formal investigation by Avon and Somerset Police.
In March 2023, Burmingham, then aged 80, was charged with cruelty to a person under 16, under Section 1 of the Children and Young Person Act 1933. Initially, she received a 20-month suspended sentence after pleading guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court. Following an appeal by Eshghi, Burmingham was subsequently ordered to serve the prison term. However, she was released early in January 2026, having completed only eight months behind bars. This early release has left Eshghi feeling profoundly let down by the criminal justice system, which she criticizes for failing to adequately punish offenders of serious historical child abuse.
Eshghi is now campaigning for reform in sentencing guidelines regarding historical child abuse cases. Current law restricts judges to sentencing based on the maximum penalty that was in effect at the time the offence was committed—meaning cases before 2005 carry a maximum of two years, despite the same offenses today potentially leading to sentences up to 14 years. She argues this discrepancy is unjust, emphasizing the need for offenders to be sentenced according to current laws that better reflect the severity and lifelong impact of such crimes. Eshghi’s campaign has garnered significant support, with over 40,000 signatures on her petition, which she intends to present to Parliament. Additionally, she is authoring a book to provide support and guidance for survivors, as well as to advocate for urgent legal and societal change.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson acknowledged the seriousness of child abuse and affirmed that courts must sentence according to laws in place at the time of the offence, though judges can consider the full harm caused. The government is also investing in victim support services to aid those navigating the justice system
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