The mum of a woman who was brutally murdered by her "evil" ex-husband has spoken of her heartbreak ahead of what would have been her daughter's 28th birthday.
Jade Ward, 27, was stabbed and strangled by Russell Marsh as the couple's young children slept just yards away, in an incident which took place in Flintshire on August, 26 last year. Marsh, 29, who worked in Ellesmere Port, was sentenced to life in prison in April after hiding Jade's body under a pile of clothes.
Although Marsh will serve at least 25 years in prison, he still holds his parental responsibility for his four sons, who cannot be named for legal reasons. And now Jade's mum, Karen Robinson, is devastated that her grandchildren will be denied the opportunity to wish their mum a happy birthday.
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She told Wales Online : "He had lost control of Jade so he did what he did, and now he has still got control because he is controlling the boys and controlling us and it is horrific. He is in prison, but his presence is still looming. Any rights should have been taken away from him the moment he took away their mother.
"It is Jade's birthday next Wednesday, her children cannot give her birthday kisses. They have now all had birthdays without her, no cards from their mother, no birthday hugs, no kisses because of their vile father.
"You cannot put into words the added worry and the stress because of him. It means we still can't move on. As Jade's mother, I know I will never be able to move on, my life has completely changed with her. But that evil, vile man, that freak is still there holding us back from being able to grieve properly."
Karen is now leading the call for a new law in Jade's name, which would prevent Marsh and killers like him from having a say in their childrens' lives. In the UK, imprisonment does not automatically restrict parental responsibility. This can only happen following a voluntary agreement or if the other parent takes the incarcerated parent to court.
Jade's family is now campaigning to make "Jade's Law" a reality. They want to make sure that nobody else who is forced to suffer a sudden and brutal loss like they have, then has to endure the added pain of being faced with the killer time after time.
It was a few weeks after the trial that the family, who are looking after Jade's four boys, realised that Marsh would still have a say in how the children were brought up. Karen said that Marsh started to "cause ripples" not long after being sentenced, asking to see the boys' school reports and their attendance notes.
Then they were informed by social workers that if they wanted to take the children on holiday he would have to consulted first, and he still has decisions over medical treatment too. Prior to her murder, Jade and Marsh had separated on three occasions but split for good in the summer of 2021 following a nine-year relationship.
Karen said: "No parent should have to hear what we heard during the trial. After 10 years she finally had her life back, but he looked at her and thought 'how dare you be happy, how dare you move on'.
"He sneaked into the house and mutilated and stabbed her while her boys were in the next room, and then he stayed in the house with her dead body for four hours. It is just so wrong.
"But we have to find a way to make her death help others. Jade's death cannot be in vain and I know that she is here with us, pushing us along."
That is why Jade's family are so driven to find a way to change the law. The family approached close family friend Edwin Duggan - a law graduate - for help with the campaign. After looking further into the case, he launched a petition calling for the automatic suspension of parental responsibility of any parent found guilty of murdering the other parent.
Within days the petition had been signed thousands of times and has now has received 120,262 signatures. The government has now responded, admitting the current rules are too "onerous". And last week, the family and supporters travelled to London to meet MPs to discuss the next move.
Eddie, who has known Jade's family for 35 years, says: "When the petition was first published we had 100,000 signatures in 10 days. We were astounded that it took off so quickly, but it shows what an important issue it is and how many families across the UK are affected by issues like this.
"So many people also didn't realise that prisoners who have murdered their partners still have rights over the children. Marsh didn't think about the welfare of his children when he murdered their mother. I have seen the pain this family have gone through, and it is just so, so sad. Some good has to come out of it somehow."
In London, Jade's family met with Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami who had arranged a meeting for them to discuss Jade’s Law with Shadow Justice Minister Ellie Reeves MP.
Mr Tami said: “Introducing Jade’s Law would put the onus on the killer to go through the legal hoops to prove they deserve parental responsibility, rather than force the victim’s family to endure a protracted and traumatic legal process to prove why they don’t.
“I support Jade’s family and friends with achieving this aim. I’ll be finding out when a Government response to the petition and a debate date can be expected, as well as introducing the petition in the House of Commons chamber in the next few weeks.
“We discussed with Shadow Justice Minister Ellie Reeves how we can best amend current legislation or introduce new legislation to make Jade’s Law a reality.”
Ellie Reeves MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Minister, said: “It was incredibly moving to meet with Jade’s family and friends and hear more about her life and love for her children. But despite this tragic case, a man who has murdered the mother of their children still keeps parental responsibility.
“It’s unthinkable that grieving families still have to seek permission from the murderer before taking the children abroad or on matters such as the child’s healthcare or schooling. I hope that the government will listen to Jade’s family."
Jade's family is determined to be heard, as mum Karen says: "I won't stop until this law is passed. No other family should go through what we are going through."
You can sign the petition here
