Vanessa Sims Lancashire Post Editor

reader

Should a life sentence mean life?

This a question we don't often think about. But for  almost 11 years one Lancashire family has been fighting for it to mean just that.

Sasha Marsden was a 16-year-old whose life was cruelly stolen by an evil monster in the most horrific way.

The teenager, who had been looking forward to a bright future, had it all taken away from her when she was murdered as she innocently arrived to tackle her first job as a cleaner in a Blackpool B&B.

I was Assistant News Editor at the Blackpool Gazette when this happened and I remember covering the court case.

As a seasoned crime reporter I had sat through many murder trials. But the brutality and horror of what happened to Sasha was like nothing I had ever heard before.

Even to this day the depravity of Minto's actions stay with me. 

For the rape and murder of Sasha, monster David Minto was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 35 years behind bars - instead of a whole life term. This will mean he could be free to roam the streets and kill again at the age of 57.

That cannot be justice.

Sasha's devastated family live everyday knowing the torment she must have been through in her final moments.

Under the current law families of murder victims have 28 days to appeal lenient sentences.

But for many families, living through a gruelling trial and listening to their loved ones horrific final moments, often means the last thing they can face is a court battle to keep a killer behind bars for life.

Sasha's family - including mum Jayne Marsden and sister Katie Brett - have been battling for years to make sure Minto's final days are spent behind bars where he cannot hurt anyone else.

This battle played a huge part in Sasha's mum's death.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE AND HELP KEEP A MONSTER BEHIND BARS

However, Katie continues to courageously battle on. 

This is where we can help. Sasha's case was solved quickly by police so pre-trial reporting of her murder was kept to minimum.

Yes, our community was shocked to it's core by the brutality Sasha faced but the case has not stayed in the public eye as long as other horrific crimes.

Katie wants to create Sasha's Law - this will give grieving families longer to appeal unduly lenient sentences and most importantly give them the chance to keep dangerous murderers like Minto behind bars.

To get the government to debate this issue Katie needs your support in signing her petition.

It will take you two moments to do but it could finally give this Blackpool family some solace.

Blackpool North MP Lorraine Beavers and Blackpool South MP Chris Webb have pledged their support and written to the Attorney General to progress conversations.

But to be successful in her bid to remove the 28-day limit on appeals against unduly lenient sentences Katie needs to get 100,000 signatures for the change in the Law to be discussed in Parliament. 

This petition is Katie's FOURTH attempt. 

I urge you to help Katie reach her goal and sign the petiton here.

Let me know your thoughts on the issue at vanessa.sims@lep.co.uk 

Best wishes

Vanessa Sims

Lancashire Post Editor