A MUM has told of her pain after her teenage daughter was stabbed 13 times with the family’s kitchen knife.
Ellie Gould, 17, was fatally knifed by her jilted ex-boyfriend Thomas Griffiths, 18, in her family home in Calne, Wilts, in May 2019.
SWNSEllie Gould’s mum Carole fears her daughter’s killer will be released[/caption]
Ellie would have celebrated her 22nd birthday this monthSWNS
PA:Press AssociationThomas Griffiths was sentenced to life in prison for the killing[/caption]
She was discovered in a pool of blood by her dad Matthew after Griffiths, then 17, snapped when Ellie rejected his pleas to get back together.
The callous killer had inserted the knife into Ellie’s neck and placed it in her hands to stage a fake suicide before attempting to clean the crime scene.
Heartbroken mum Carole, 53, has since revealed her fear that Griffiths will be released early.
Sick and twisted Griffiths was jailed for life following the horror.
But an “evil” law could see him freed at the age of 30 after serving just 12-and-a-half-years.
The minimum term Griffiths spends locked behind bars would have been at least a decade more if he hadn’t killed Ellie in her own home.
If his frenzied attack had taken place on the street, where he would have had a weapon on him, he would be ordered to serve a minimum of 25 years.
Carole is now campaigning to change the law so other grieving family members can be at peace knowing killers will get 25 years regardless.
She bravely told the Mirror: “He has destroyed our lives. You try to put it into the back of your mind or try to distract yourself, but it’s always there.
“They should go and see these women in the morgue with their stab wounds.
“We had to go see Ellie in the morgue, with all the stab wounds in the side of her neck.”
Ellie would have celebrated her 22nd birthday this month, but instead she tragically remains 17 forever.
Me and Matthew just looked at each other and knew it was her boyfriend
Carole Gould
Carole said her daughter’s life was “full of promise” before that chilling day.
Reliving the moment she found out Ellie had been stabbed, she said: “My husband, Matthew, came home first and rang me hysterically.
“He said I had to come home, because Ellie had had a terrible accident.
“I jumped in the car and had all these thoughts rushing through my head, then a police car sped past me with the sirens on.
“There were so many ambulances and police cars outside the house that I had to park down the street, and I sprinted up the drive to find Matthew sobbing.
How you can get help
WOMEN’S Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
Always keep your phone nearby.
Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
If you are in danger, call 999.
Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
“I asked him what was happening, and he turned to me and said: ‘Ellie’s dead’.”
Carole explained how she was sitting with her husband in a police car when officers asked about Ellie’s friends and whether she had a boyfriend.
She added: “When we were taken to the police station and told us this was now a murder inquiry.
“Me and Matthew just looked at each other and knew it was her boyfriend.”
Carole was due to meet with Labour Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper today to discuss important changes.
She added: “There is a 10 year difference in the minimum sentence if you kill someone in a home compared to if you kill someone in the street.
“Ellie’s death was horrific and intimate, yet the sentence is lesser.
“To me that’s diminishing women’s lives.
“Griffiths had been showing controlling behaviour before he killed Ellie – he’d been pestering her to go to his house constantly.
“He’s a danger to women and should never be allowed out.”
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has been contacted for comment.
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