It was a senseless murder... he was lying in wait

Just weeks before Caroline Gore was brutally murdered, her abusive partner who stabbed her to death was allowed to walk free.

David Liptrot had a string of convictions for domestic violence and was given a two-year restraining order, prohibiting him from contacting 'vulnerable' Caroline. Within a year, he was convicted for breaching it twice - but he was spared jail the second time.

Less than four weeks after receiving the suspended prison sentence, on October 29, 2023, he killed Caroline, 43, at her flat in Wigan.

READ MORE: Strangeways here we go: The men walking free from prison

One year on from this senseless killing, we say: no more. The Manchester Evening News is today calling for a mandatory minimum jail term for breaches of protective orders - because if there are no consequences, then they are not worth the paper they are written on.

Protective orders, like the one handed to Liptrot, should empower and protect victims and survivors of domestic abuse. But too often, organisations who support them say, these orders are ineffective as authorities do not monitor whether they are being adhered to.

When a perpetrator is convicted for breaching a protective order, offenders can be imprisoned for up to five years. But the number of convictions for breaches of protective orders have plummeted in recent years and nearly half of those who are convicted walk free.

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Now that they're in power, it's time to take action.

Last month, the government announced a review of sentencing in England and Wales which will be 'guided' by three principles, the first of which is that 'sentences must punish offenders and protect the public'.

Too many perpetrators of domestic abuse who breach protective orders