A 15-year-old UK girl who was brutally murdered by her ex-boyfriend was too young to be labeled as a victim of domestic violence, leading to her death being categorized as a knife crime, according to a report.
Holly Newton was killed January 27, 2023 in Hexham, Northumberland, by Logan MacPhail, now 17, following a contentious relationship marked by violence, "obsession," and "control."
Leading up to Newton's murder, she was incessantly stalked by MacPhail who had grown jealous after their breakup. On the night of her murder, Newton was intercepted by MacPhail as she was on the way to see friends. He then attacked her, inflicting 36 stab wounds, the BBC reported.
Because of Newton's age, her case was tried as a knife crime rather than a domestic violence incident.
While the UK government lists a minimum age requirement of 16 to be considered domestic violence over child abuse, Newton's family believes her death should trigger a reevaluation of how cases are addressed and recognized.
Micala Trussler, Newton's mother, also believes this oversight could hinder efforts to educate people about toxic relationships.
"I think he would have killed her just so she couldn't be with anybody else because it was all about control, obsession and passion," Trussler told BBC. "Certain levels of abuse are taken more seriously than others, like the controlling side of things and is it stalking, constantly texting people and ringing?"
Ultimately, a tumultuous and lengthy trial found MacPhail guilty of murder.
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