The pain that is inflicted on victims families by those that murder is horrific and even it is worse when families are denied the chance to lay loved ones to rest. It is beyond words. Helen’s Law received Royal Assent this week ensuring that murderers and paedophiles who hold back information on their victims face longer behind bars.
The new law follows a long campaign which started in 1988 by Marie McCourt after her daughter Helen McCourt was murdered and her killer to reveal her body’s location. It is heart-breaking to hear what families like this have gone through and is right that those who commit such crimes and deny families the dignity and chance to lay loved one’s to rest get the harshest sentence and have longer sentences for denying families this right.
The law will also apply to paedophiles who make indecent images of children and refuse to identify their victims. The Parole Board already has guidance and makes clear that these kind of offender who withhold information still pose a risk to the public and therefore could be denied parole. The new Act now places a legal duty on the Parole Board to consider the pain and anguish caused by murderers who refuse to disclose the location of a victim.
I fully support this Act and am pleased to see the tireless work of Marie McCourt will now help give victims the closure they need and deserve.
