'Animal abuse law might have saved my daughter'

The mother of a woman murdered by her husband is calling for a national register of animal abusers to prevent similar crimes in future.

Nicholas Metson is serving a life sentence for stabbing 26-year-old Holly Bramley to death at their Lincoln home in March 2023, having previously tortured and killed her pets.

Holly's mother, Annette Bramley, said there was a link between abuse of animals and humans, adding: "Had there been a register with his name on there that we could have looked at, perhaps Holly might be here today."

A government spokesperson said it recognised "the link between pet abuse and domestic abuse" and was working with vets to spot signs of abuse.

Metson murdered Holly in an act that police described as "barbaric" – stabbing her multiple times before cutting her body into more than 200 pieces and disposing of them in the River Witham.

Holly had previously reported him to the police for killing her hamsters and puppy, but her family said he convinced her to say she had been responsible.

Annette described him as "a prolific animal harmer".

Holly's family have proposed the establishment of "Holly's Law" — a nationwide animal cruelty registry that lists individuals known for harming or killing animals.

A petition set up in support of the idea has more than 50,000 signatures and the campaign has been highlighted in the House of Commons by Annette's MP, Sir John Hayes.

Holly met Metson in 2016 and they married in 2021, but her family said she had suffered a life of domestic abuse.

Annette described animal abuse convictions "as the biggest red flag ever".

"If they can be cruel to animals, they can be cruel to humans.

"Unfortunately, Holly didn't get out. She didn't see the red flags in spite of us trying to convince her."

The police's National Wildlife Crime Unit recently looked at the criminal records of 128 people convicted of animal cruelty offences and reported there was "a link to domestic violence and abuse for 27% of all wildlife crime offenders".

Annette said she would like a register to be available to the police, veterinary surgeons and others involved in animal care.

And she urged anyone concerned about someone hurting animals to tell the police.

She added: "If you're in a relationship and you can see that somebody's harming pets, just take that as a red flag and report them and get out of that relationship."

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said its new Animal Welfare Strategy included working with vets "to recognise signs of domestic abuse through injuries to pets".

They added: "The Police National Computer holds all relevant information for prosecutions made for animal cruelty offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006."

"Certain organisations have access to this information, where appropriate to fulfil their public function."

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