Children like mine are still dying & nothing's been done to stop it

A MUM whose two boys were murdered by their abusive father during an access visit wants an end to the "pro-contact" legal culture that let him get near them.

- BY MICHELLE RAWLINS

Claire Throssell is calling on Keir Starmer to review the family justice system which allows children to see both parents after a split even in cases where there has been abuse.

It comes as a Women's Aid report reveals that in the decade since the killing of Claire's sons, another 19 children in England and Wales have been killed by an abusive parent, or parental figure, given access.

The report reveals the youngest child was just three weeks old and the oldest was 11. In all but one case, the killer was a man and 15 were killed by their own father.

Fire

Claire lost sons Jack, 12, and Paul, nine, in October 2014 after ex-husband Darren Sykes lured them into the attic at his home with the promise of a new train set, then set the house on fire.

Claire, 53, of Penistone, near Barnsley, says: "The government hasn't learned anything since my sons were murdered.

"Children are dying and they do nothing to stop it."

Now Women's Aid - which claims 67 children have died through domestic abuse in the last 30 years - has joined forces with Claire to pressure Labour to review the family justice system.

Before Claire's sons were killed, she had warned Cafcass (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) and Social Services her ex-husband was a threat to them.