In November 2016 I watched in shock as my daughter Emma was handed a life sentence for the murder of her violent boyfriend James.

Over the course of the night of 26 March and early hours of 27 March 2016, James, who was high on a cocktail of drink, cocaine and steroids, attacked Emma. He was a bodybuilder; a strong, intimidating man who would become increasingly unpredictable when he had been drinking or taking drugs or both. He was prone to jealous outbursts resulting in violent assaults on Emma.

At Emma’s trial later that year, the jury were not made aware of the abuse she had suffered during her relationship with James. Her mental health issues were not explored in any depth despite her defence team instructing a psychiatrist who prepared a report in which he concluded that she was presenting with a personality disorder, was on the Autistic Spectrum and had endured a traumatised and chaotic upbringing. Emma could not speak in court, so she never even got to give her account of the events which drove her to such an extreme act.

I believe that Emma genuinely thought James was going to kill her that night. She really, really loved him but she was also terrified of him. He would regularly lose his temper, hit and threaten her in front of her then 2-year old daughter. Less than two weeks before Emma killed James, she had suffered a distressing miscarriage and had been hospitalised. She was devastated at losing their baby but James showed little understanding of her loss, he shouted at her and intimidated her whilst she was still recovering from her ordeal at the hospital.

Application to appeal:

A new legal team lead by Clare Wade QC and Louise Bullivant together with the wonderful support of the campaigning group, Justice for Women are now helping Emma with a renewed application for permission to appeal against her murder conviction. This is her final chance to persuade the Court of Appeal that she should be allowed to renew her application on fresh grounds.

The new team have obtained a further report from the original psychiatrist and note that the original prosecution instructed psychiatrist is now of the opinion that my daughter was suffering from a Borderline Personality Disorder when she killed James. They have also instructed a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Neuropsychologist who has diagnosed a pervasive Developmental Disorder. Those reports sought in support of a renewed appeal have been comprehensive in tackling the remit provided by Emma’s new legal team. 

How you can help:

I just want to be able to give my daughter the opportunity to have her voice heard at a fresh trial, a fair trial, where she can be supported and where fresh, relevant evidence from experts can be heard by a jury.

The team have worked pro bono but I want to be able to cover the costs of the reports, already obtained, which may make a significant difference to her appeal prospects this time around. I’m trying to raise a minimum of £5,000 to go towards these costs.

Emma isn’t a cold-blooded murderer. She is a victim of domestic violence who I truly believe has been let down by the criminal justice system.

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