Mother of murdered teen praises project tackling domestic abuse

THE mother of murdered teenager Holly Newton has praised ongoing work in Northumberland to tackle dangerous relationships between teenagers, but warned the Government needs to take further action.

- JAMES ROBINSON Local Democracy Reporter [e-mail]

The county's safeguarding partnership is running a teenage harm relationship project in the wake of the 15-year-old's death in November 2023.

The pilot is aimed at gaining a better understanding of how widespread domestic abuse among young people is in the county, as well as helping the community and practitioners to recognise unhealthy and abusive relationships and where to get support.

While Holly's mum Micala Trussler has said this is positive, she remains unhappy that the Government is yet to commit to bringing in 'Holly's Law, which would allow people under 16 to be classed as victims of domestic violence from partners.

Holly was killed in Hexham by her ex-boyfriend in January. Logan MacPhail was detained for a minimum of 17 years for her murder.

Micala said: "The work is really positive to be honest. I think things are positively moving forward the best that they can, but it's just time.

"I don't think we will ever have answers on how it is working until more time has passed. There's still more work to do. The education is core and it is key, but we need Holly's Law to be in line with that.

"At the minute, we're saying you can't be a victim or a perpetrator until you're 16. That's ridiculous - Holly was a victim, and she was 15.