Pat McFadden with the Westcarr family (Image: Westcarrs)
The family of Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche, a 25-year-old mother killed in a brutal attack, has publicly called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to meet with them and “look me in the eye” as they demand urgent reforms to the justice system. On October 20, the family met with Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips MP, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, Alex Davies-Jones MP.
Discussions focused on the family’s experiences within the justice system and desired reforms, including the enactment of Jade’s Law, which would bar killers of pregnant women from parental rights. A second meeting followed with Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden MP. The talks addressed how offenders sent to hospitals rather than prisons remain eligible for universal credit payments of up to £400 a month.
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The family has called for this policy to change, emphasising the need for an urgent review.
Linda Westcarr, Kennedi’s mother, thanked the ministers but stressed the need for action. She said: “I would like to extend my thanks to all the Ministers for meeting with me and my family today.
“These meetings were a step towards being heard, but my daughter’s killing deserves more than sympathetic words – it demands action. True systematic changes, including preventing killers sent to hospitals from receiving benefits and the implementation of Jade’s Law, are needed to ensure victims are prioritised in the justice system.
“Despite submitting a letter to the Prime Minister over six weeks ago, I am publicly calling on Sir Keir Starmer, along with the Lord Chancellor, to meet with me so I can share with them the many failures that have been seen in Kennedi’s case.
Gogoa Lois Tape, 28, is detained under the Mental Health Act (Image: PA)
“I hope that the Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor will be able to meet with me and that they can look me in the eye, and commit to real change so no other family has to endure what mine has.”
The plea follows the manslaughter conviction of Gogoa Lois Tape, the 28-year-old acquaintance who strangled Kennedi on October 14, 2024, outside his south London flat.
Plagued by undiagnosed schizophrenia, persecutory delusions and a history of heavy cannabis use, Tape crushed her windpipe in a frenzied assault inside the front seat of her car. He then propped her body upright, drove through the capital for nearly two hours – stopping to buy cigarettes – and sent a text from her phone to a friend. Tape confessed to police only after returning home six hours later.
Despite repeated mental health warnings about his drug use since 2014, Tape was convicted of manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility at the Old Bailey in July 2025. Judge Freya Newbery imposed an indefinite hospital order under Sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act, detaining him in a secure psychiatric unit.
Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche, 25, was killed by her boyfriend (Image: PA)
As a “patient” rather than a prisoner, he qualifies for up to £400 monthly in universal credit, tax-free since the state covers his care, board and medical needs. Campaigners estimate this could amount to nearly £96,000 over three to four years.
The policy has outraged the Westcarr family. Mrs Westcarr, now the sole carer for Kennedi’s orphaned daughter, struggles for basic support while Tape benefits from public funds.
Kennedi’s brother, Leon Westcarr, said: “How can it be right that a convicted killer can receive benefits… while the victim’s family is left struggling to survive – emotionally and financially? This cannot be acceptable in any just or moral society.”
Mr Westcarr added that Tape “accumulates a significant amount of taxpayers’ money,” leaving the family with a “painful belief” that he “has effectively got away with murder,” his patient status erasing the crime’s brutality.
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Mr McFadden, speaking after the meeting, said: “I was very touched to meet Linda and Leon Westcarr, who have shown great bravery and dignity following the terrible loss of Kennedi. I have asked officials to come back very quickly on possible changes to the benefits system to stop entitlements for offenders who are detained in psychiatric hospitals.”
Government figures show 2,745 serious offenders, including murderers, currently receive such benefits in hospital. Victims’ advocate Julian Hendy called the arrangement one that “beggars belief,” suggesting the money could instead support traumatised families and yield millions in Treasury savings.
Six weeks ago, Linda wrote to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer detailing failures in Kennedi’s case, including delayed interventions for Tape and perceived leniency in sentencing. With no reply, the family views the ministerial meetings as progress but insufficient without higher-level engagement from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood.
The case highlights systemic issues in Britain’s justice framework, from mental health oversight to victim support. It has spurred demands for a victims’ bill of rights, with cross-party MP support. Labour’s post-election commitments to safeguarding reforms remain in progress, but the Westcarrs’ advocacy underscores the urgency for implementation.
