Grieving families’ inability to bury their loved ones after murder has been branded a “cruel injustice” by a campaigning senior Tory MP. Former Cabinet Minister Esther McVey has backed calls for killers to serve a mandatory 40 year sentence, without parole, for murder when a victim’s dismembered remains are not found through Chantel’s Law.
The mother of three was brutally murdered with a meat cleaver by former soldier Stephen Wynne near his home in Birkenhead, in Merseyside, in March 2004. But despite Wynne telling police her body was in places including a household bin and in undergrowth at a park five miles from his home, her remains have never been found.
Slamming the “cruel injustice”, Ms McVey said: “The current system allows perpetrators to manipulate the law, avoiding full accountability and leaving families in perpetual anguish.
“Chantel’s Law seeks to rectify this by treating the desecration of a body as an integral part of the murder, ensuring that such heinous acts result in appropriate sentencing.
It is time for the government to act. Chantel’s Law is not just a legal necessity. It is a moral imperative.
“No family should endure the torment of not knowing where their loved one rests. By passing this law, we can ensure that justice is truly served.”
The Express is backing their calls through the Families Fighting for Justice crusade.
Chantel’s mother Jean warned victims’ families are “carrying a second pain already of no justice”.
She added: “I have dedicated the past 18 years campaigning for tougher sentences for murder. I have been supporting homicide victims’ families for the past 18 years. I have a voice for those victims’ families who are lost in grief and saddened that no Justice was given for their loved one – a pain like no other.
“Please Justice Secretary listen to the voices of us all. The victim has no voice, but we do and always will in the hope things will change, but will they?”
Chantel’s mother Jean’s demands for an overhaul in the law are backed by more than 10,000 signatures on a petition which was handed to No10 in January.
Jean has also written to Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp and Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick to support her push to get Chantel’s Law on the statute books.
She also met with Prisons Minister James Timpson in October.
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: “This was a horrific crime and our thoughts remain with Chantel Taylor’s family and friends.
“Murderers face a longer time behind bars if they do not disclose the location of their victim’s body because the Parole Board is legally obliged to consider this when deciding if they are safe to release after serving their minimum term.”
