Jade Ward should be getting kisses from her four young sons on what would have been her 28th birthday next week. They should be spending the day spoiling their mum, giving her cards and presents, helping her blow out the candles on a cake.
Instead, there will be no kisses, no big family celebration, it will be another day for her devastated family to endure without her. Jade was only 27 when she was brutally attacked, stabbed and strangled by her former husband as their young children slept in the next room.
Russell Marsh, 29, had left work early and snuck into Jade's home to attack her, just because he did not want his ex-wife to move with her life without him. After carrying out his horrific attack, Marsh then hid the mum-of-four's body under a pile of clothes for the police to find at her home.
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The court was told on the night of the murder on August 26 last year Marsh told his bosses he needed to leave work early because his brother had attempted suicide. But he was instead tracked by CCTV, ANPR cameras, and phone masts that showed he headed to his former family home. Once there, Marsh stabbed and strangled his former partner before telling police he had "done something horrible".
He was jailed for life with a minimum of 25 years in April, and now Jade's brave family from Shotton, Flintshire, are trying to find a positive through a campaign to change the law so other families don't have to go through the pain they are enduring. Read more about the sentencing here.
They are pushing for a law in her 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.
Ms Ward's family are 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 need 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.
Jade's mum Karen Robinson 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.
"It is all about control for him," says Karen. "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."
During our interview her mum cannot bear to say the "vile monster's" name. Karen Robinson is still reeling from her daughter's horror of her daughter's murder and then having to sit through a trial listening to "things a mother should never have to hear", while Marsh showed no remorse for what he did.
Her proud mum says: "Jade was the most caring, loving and supportive person you could meet. Not just with family, with everyone. She made a massive impact on everyone who met her, and I have never met a person who had a bad word to say about her.
"She worked in the local Co-op, and when she died one of the customers, who had only met her a few times, stayed up all night making a bench for her memory garden. That is the sort of impact she had on people."
But Karen says that the family felt right from the start that Marsh was a "bit odd".
"If she ever went out, he would be phoning her all the time to see what she was up to. I don't mean three or four times, he would be phoning constantly and if Jade turned her phone off he would start phoning her friends," she explains. "If she was at work, he would often sit outside in the car watching her. He would get someone to look after the boys at night so he could sit outside her work, and sometimes he left them on their own.
"He started making her friends and family feel uncomfortable too. All he wanted was Jade, and he used the boys as pawns in his sick game to be used when and where it suited him."
Her mum describes how life had been looking so good for Jade in the days before her murder, she had her beautiful boys, and had finally managed to leave the controlling husband who had tried to distance her from her loving and supportive family.
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.
"No parent should have to hear what we heard during the trial," says Karen. "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 house. 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 they 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. You can sign the petition here
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". You can see the full response at the bottom of this article. 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 says: “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 are 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."
This is the Government's response to the petition: "The Government recognises that in situations where one parent is convicted of the murder of the other parent, the process for restricting parental responsibility from a parent who is imprisoned can be time consuming, and that making or responding to court applications, and attending multiple court hearings on related issues of parental responsibility can often be onerous for those involved.
"Under the Children Act 1989, the exercise of parental responsibility held by one or more individuals can already be limited by the court, where to do so is deemed to be in the best interests of the child. The Act also enables the court to prevent individuals bringing multiple unwarranted applications before the court, which can be burdensome and distressing to family members.
"Where a child does not have a parent to care for them on a day-to-day basis, members of the family can apply for court orders in private law proceedings, or a local authority might initiate public law care proceedings, with a view to providing for the child’s upbringing. In making such orders the welfare of the child is always the paramount consideration of the court.
"In cases where one parent has been convicted of murdering the other, the responsible local authority will have a duty to protect that child and ensure they are safeguarded from harm. This may include initiating care proceedings to provide the child with a permanent or interim care arrangement.
"A care arrangement can include family members, such as grandparents, aunts or uncles, being granted parental responsibility for the child. Alternatively, a local authority will acquire parental responsibility of the child where the court deems this to be in the best interests of the child.
"The court can already exercise powers to effectively remove all parental powers and authority in appropriate cases. The extent to which, and the time period during which such parental rights and powers are limited, are matters for the judge to decide based on the facts of the case.
"The court can also exercise powers to prevent an individual attempting to repeatedly bring issues back before the court. Section 91(14) of the Children Act 1989 allows family courts to bar individuals from making further specified applications under the Children Act 1989 without permission of the court. These orders are known as section 91(14) orders.
"The court can make such an order of its own motion or following an application by one of the parties involved in the private law case.
"Once a section 91(14) order is in place, if an applicant subsequently seeks permission to make a relevant Children Act application, the court will generally consider whether the circumstances that gave rise to the barring order have changed. This offers protection to those persons caring for the child, removing the burden and associated distress to family members of having to go back to court multiple times.
