'Holly died three years ago, nothing has changed'

A sapling grown from the felled Sycamore Gap tree has been planted in memory of a girl murdered by her ex-boyfriend. Almost three years since her daughter's death, Holly Newton's mum says nothing has changed in the battle against violence against women and girls.

Holly would have been 18 today.

But instead of partying with her, her friends and family have gathered in the cemetery where she is buried to see a tree planted in her memory.

Holly was 15 when she was lured into an alleyway in the middle of Hexham, the Northumberland town where she went to school, in January 2023 by her 16-year-old ex-boyfriend Logan MacPhail.

He stabbed and slashed her more than 30 times with a knife he had brought from his kitchen, all because she had ended her relationship with him.

It was a brutal and sustained attack and she was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead, with MacPhail later jailed for her murder.

The tree that has been planted is one of 49 Trees of Hope, grown from seeds taken from the Sycamore Gap tree after the Hadrian's Wall landmark was illegally chopped down in September 2023.

"We're all so overwhelmed but pleased that Holly is being remembered with something so special," Holly's mother Micala Trussler says.

The Trees of Hope moniker feels fitting, she says, adding: "The work we're doing to help other young people is all about hope, the hope that we can stop other families and young women going through what we have."

Of course her deepest wish is to have Holly instead.

"We miss her so much, she brought so much joy, happiness and laughter to our lives and we'd do anything to have her back here with us," Micala says.

The tone of her voice hardens.

"It's almost three years since we lost Holly and nothing has changed," she says.

At the moment, anyone under the age of 16 is a child in the eyes of the law and cannot be classed as a victim of domestic abuse.

Holly's mum and step-dad Lee say this prevents young people getting the right information and education, which could help them recognise when their relationships are unhealthy - as they say Holly's was with MacPhail.

And they say it makes it harder for the police to intervene or for charities to help create so-called evacuation plans.

Holly's death was classed as knife crime as a result and no domestic homicide review was carried out, leaving the family with unanswered questions.

"The government says it is taking violence against women and girls seriously but I can't see what it has really done to reach the targets it says it has," Micala says.

The government has said it plans to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade.

After MacPhail was jailed, Micala and her husband Lee began campaigning for the age to be lowered so that more young people in abusive relationships could access help.

They have also been going into schools, educating young people on what an unhealthy relationship looks like.

Micala says Holly didn't even realise her relationship was abusive.

She says MacPhail was controlling - he didn't want Holly to have any other friends, was constantly ringing her and had threatened to kill himself if she ended the relationship.

In the days before he murdered her, he stalked her - turning up outside her home in Haltwhistle at night and leaving school early so he could follow her around Hexham on the day that she died.

Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary at the time of MacPhail's conviction, told the BBC the government would "look seriously" at the issue and that "the criminal justice and policing needs to do much more to identify domestic abuse".

In a statement a Home Office spokesperson said: "This was a horrific murder, and our thoughts remain with Micala and Lee Trussler and all of Holly Newton's loved ones.

"Abuse in teenage relationships can have devastating consequences, and we do not shy away from the reality of the harm it causes.

"Work is under way to explore every option to tackle teenage relationship abuse, including a review of the legal framework, prevention work, and victim support."

Micala's response is scathing.

"We feel unheard and would like the government to respond to our calls for Holly's Law so young people can have the education they deserve and be recognised as victims of domestic abuse," she says.

"It's imperative that we safeguard under-16s as a matter of urgency.

"We would love an update on Holly's Law and where the government is currently at regarding this."

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