Who was Jade Ward and how long did her ex-husband Russell Marsh get for murdering her

AN ITV series explores the tragic murder of Jade Ward in the latest episode of its true crime documentary.

The mother of four was brutally murdered in her home by her ex-husband, Russell Marsh. Here’s what we know about her.

Jade Ward was brutally murdered by her ex-husbandNorth Wales Police/PA

Who was Jade Ward?

Jade Ward was stabbed and strangled by her ex-husband, Russell Marsh, in Flintshire, Wales in August 2021.

The attack happened just a week after Jade, who shared four children with Marsh, had decided to leave him.

Describing the killing, Judge Rhys Rowlands called it “a savage and merciless attack”.

He said Marsh had been “consumed with self-pity and jealousy” when he went to Jade’s home and carried out a “prolonged and cruel” assault, all while their four children were sleeping nearby.

Marsh had been “controlling and possessive”, the judge added, and had even told friends that if he couldn’t have Jade, then nobody could.

“Tragically, it transpired to be the truth,” said Judge Rowlands.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Jade’s brother Kyle Robinson described her as “kind, beautiful, funny, caring”.

“Jade always saw the good in people, but sadly her good heart and ability to forgive led to her death,” he said.

Addressing her murderer, his statement added: “He’s given her sons… the burden of having to carry around this crime for the rest of their lives.”

Detective Inspector Myfanwy Kirkwood, the deputy Senior Investigating Officer, said: “For Jade’s young life to be cut so cruelly short in such tragic circumstances is beyond comprehension.”

How long did her ex-husband Russell Marsh get for murdering her?

Despite currently serving a minimum of 25 years in prison for Jade’s murder, Marsh has retained his parental rights.

This allowed him to request school reports, access medical information about the children, and even block them from travelling abroad.

It’s a situation Jade’s parents had been campaigning tirelessly to change.

In 2024, Jade’s Law was officially passed by Parliament as part of the Victims and Prisoners Bill.

It was one of the final pieces of legislation to go through before the general election.

Russell Marsh was jailed for a minimum of 25 yearsNorth Wales Police/PA

The new law marks a significant shift as parents who kill someone they share children with will now have their parental rights automatically suspended upon sentencing.

According to the UK government, the change is designed to protect children from being unduly influenced by the parent responsible for the death of the other.

The rule applies to anyone convicted of murder or voluntary manslaughter of a co-parent, and each case will be reviewed by a judge to ensure the decision is in the best interests of the child.

There is, however, an exemption for cases in which a domestic abuse victim kills their abuser.

The push for change was led by bereaved families, including the network Killed Women, who wrote an open letter to then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging the government to act.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk later endorsed The Sun’s campaign — the strongest indication at the time that the law would be changed.

Paul Ward and Karen Robinson have been campaigning to change the law

At the time, Jade’s dad Paul Ward said: “We are blown away by this news. We feel very humbled.

“Jade would have been so proud. We just don’t want other families to go through what we’ve faced.

“We’re so grateful to The Sun for getting involved.”

Paul and Karen said Marsh had hung “like a spectre over our lives.”

They revealed how Marsh heaped even more misery on the family by demanding a second autopsy on Jade, which delayed her burial by five weeks and denied them the chance of holding their daughter one last time.

“A few days after Jade’s death we were told he still had full parental rights and we were gobsmacked.

To us, he stopped having any rights as a parent the day he killed our daughter.

Karen Robinson

“My daughter lost her rights. He made sure that her rights to those boys were gone, so it’s difficult to understand why he can sit in a prison cell and still pull the strings.

“He can’t control Jade anymore, so he wants to control the boys and her family.”

Karen said the first major red flag came when her daughter told her that Marsh, who worked at a power plant, had pretended to leave for work one day, only for Jade to discover him hiding behind the curtains at home.

Karen said: “When I look back Marsh had been controlling since the start, buying Jade clothes and jewellery she never wanted and didn’t like.

“I think he wanted to make her something she wasn’t.

Jade’s Law has now been passed, changing parental rights of convicted criminalsWALES NEWS SERVICE

“They have lost a mum in a million and she’s all they talk about. When we go to see Jade’s grave we sit and we talk about her and they blow her kisses. They never ask about Marsh.

“To us, he stopped having any rights as a parent the day he killed our daughter.”