‘Abusers should not be able to skip justice’ Call for law change

WOMAN who was beaten, burned with cigarettes and starved as a child by her birth mother is demanding an urgent law change after her abuser served just eight months in prison.

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Caroline Eshghi is campaigning to reform sentencing guidelines for historical child abuse cases following the early release of Melanie Burmingham.

The abuse took place across Bristol, Somerset and Wiltshire during the 1970s and 1980s when Caroline was a vulnerable young child.

Despite the prolonged cruelty, judges could only sentence the defendant using the maximum penalty available at the exact time the offences occurred.

The legal constraints meant individuals committing acts of child cruelty before 2005 faced a maximum term of just two years in prison.

The same severe offences committed today carry a maximum term of 14 years under modern British public protection laws.

Caroline reported the historical crimes to Avon and Somerset Police in 2019, initiating a complex criminal investigation lasting more than three years.

The crown court initially handed down a suspended sentence before an appeal ruling sent the perpetrator to prison for 20 months.

Caroline has now launched a national parliamentary petition which has gained more than 42,000 signatures from members of the public.