PM Keir Starmer has promised to end grieving mum Claire Throssell’s an 11-year fight for justice – telling her: ‘I don’t know if I would have had the courage to do what you have done’
A mum whose two sons were murdered by their abusive father has fulfilled the promise she made to them, as they died in her arms, – by changing the law to keep other children safe.
For 11 years, Claire Throssell, has campaigned to end the ‘presumption of contact’ guidelines in the family courts, to stop children being forced to see an abusive parent.
In 2014, the mum had repeatedly warned the court about her ex’s history of abuse but because of these guidelines, the judge had allowed him unsupervised visits with their sons, Jack, 12, and his nine-year-old brother, Paul. It was on one of these visits in October of that year, that Darren Sykes, lured his boys to the attic of the family home in Penistone, near Sheffield, and set fire to the house.
He died in the blaze but not before ensuring no one else could survive – after setting 14 separate fires around the home. Jack and Paul died later in hospital, with Claire at their sides. All she could do for her boys, was to make sure no other children suffered the same fate.
And today, after more than a decade, the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, promised Claire to finally change the law. In a meeting inside Number 10, he told her: ‘We are going to change to do this. We will take presumption of contact out of law. It is going to happen.’
He added: ‘I have to humbly salute your courage – you are amazing. You have been waiting too long.’
Holding a picture of Jack and Paul, he continued: ‘I have two children and what you have done for children is amazing. I completely admire you, to take this to the next stage, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to do what you have done.’
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After meeting the PM, Claire, 53, an ambassador for Women’s Aid, said: ‘For 11 years I have been pleading with the government to take presumption of contact out of law. Now, the day before the anniversary of Paul’s death, it has finally happened. It has taken six governments, but I’ve done it.
‘Tomorrow [Wednesday] marks the 11th anniversary since Paul died in my arms. I promised him and my eldest son, Jack, I would do everything I could to keep children safe.’
The Mirror has been supporting Claire throughout her Child First campaign and Mirror Books has just published her memoir For My Boys, which included a plea to Starmer. She said: ‘I can’t thank the Mirror enough for how much they have supported me to change the law.’ The victory comes just days after the Mirror revealed Spice Girl and domestic violence campaigner Mel B had also thrown her weight behind the cause.
Claire’s mission began because she had repeatedly warned social services and the courts, that her ex-husband was capable of murder, but under the old ‘presumption of contact’ guidelines, the family court judge ordered Jack and Paul twice a week. It was during one of those court authorised visits, that he killed his innocent sons. She said: ‘I lost my sons because under the Children’s Act, a judge automatically assumed it was in my sons’ best interests to see both parents. I had suffered domestic abuse for 16 years and knew my ex was capable of murder. I screamed from the rooftops about how evil and cruel he was, but I wasn’t seen or heard.
‘Now 11 years after Jack and Paul were so cruelly taken from me, the government have finally listened, and I hope no other child will die scared that an abusive parent was responsible. Keir Starmer looked me in the eye and promised the law will be changed. This is in memory of Jack and Paul.’
A recent Women’s Aid report revealed that in the decade after Jack and Paul were murdered, another 19 children in England and Wales, have been killed by a parent or a parental figure, who was given access to them despite being the perpetrator of domestic abuse.
The harrowing Nineteen More Child Homicides report, published by Women’s Aid this year, explains the youngest child was just three weeks old and the eldest was 11. In all but one case, the killer was a man, and 15 children were murdered by their own father. The charity, which tracks child homicides, claims 67 children have died at the hands of perpetrators of domestic abuse over the last 30 years.
Claire who has drawn strength from her own sons’ bravery, said: ‘Jack’s dying act was to protect his little brother, who he loved with all his heart. When the fire took hold in the attic, he used all his strength to pull Paul to the attic hatchway, hoping to save both their lives.’
Sadly, the impact of the fire was too much for the young boys’ bodies to cope with. Paul died that night, in hospital, as Claire cuddled him in her arms. Five days later, Jack also lost his fight for life, after suffering severe burns to virtually every part of his body. Claire made the brave decision to release a shocking photo of Jack in hospital so people could see the full impact of what this guideline had allowed to happen.
‘As the firefighters pulled Jack from the burning house, and cradled him in their arms, he told them. “My dad did this and he did it on purpose”,’ Claire recalled. ‘He died thinking, he had saved his brother’s life, because I never told him Paul had died. When I held my eldest son in my arms, as he took his final breath, I made a promise to him that I would do everything in my willpower to ensure no other child died because of a law that failed to protect them.’
Today (Tuesday), Labour MP Marie Tidball, who has supported Claire in her call to the government to remove the family court’s presumption of contact, hugged the mum, as news that it had finally happened was revealed.
‘I am incredibly proud of Claire and the work she has done. She is a force of nature,’ said Marie. ‘I promised Claire I would do everything I could to change the law. We are going to change the law and I believe the Prime Minister to deliver his promise to Jack and Paul. We will not stop until we see it in the statute book.’
The repeal of the presumption of contact will be presented to parliament in the New Year, in the Courts Bill. Claire – who took her book, For My Boys, about her campaign to change the law, to the recent Labour Party Conference – said: ‘I can’t thank Marie enough. She has stood by my side and delivered on her promise.’
Justice Minister, Baroness Levitt KC, exclusively told the Mirror: ‘No child should ever have to go through the horrors, violence and trauma of being abused by their own parent. It’s deeply concerning that a pro-contact culture still persists in parts of the family courts, placing children at risk of unspeakable harm. Today we’re announcing plans to repeal the presumption of parental involvement from the Children Act 1989. Children’s welfare must always come first.’
She added: ‘I want to thank Claire Throssell for her unwavering campaigning in the face of unimaginable loss, which has driven this change. This repeal is dedicated to her sons, Jack and Paul, and to every child whose life was damaged or stolen by violent and unfit parents. This government is committed to building a system that truly safeguards children and protects them from the abuse of those who are supposed to love them most.’
Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy, said: ‘Every decision I make in the justice system will prioritise children’s safety, their wellbeing, and their right to grow up free from harm. Claire Throssell is simply remarkable. Her courage in the face of unimaginable tragedy, her determination to prevent other families from suffering as she has, and her relentless advocacy for children’s safety has been instrumental in bringing about this vital change. As we mark this important step forward in the law, I pay tribute to her sons, Jack and Paul, whose memory drives our commitment to ensuring no other child suffers a similar fate.’
If parents are thought to be a threat to their child’s safety, involvement in their lives can be restricted, for example through courts ordering supervised contact, involvement limited to written communication, or by ordering that there should be no involvement at all.
Farah Nazeer, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, said: ‘Women’s Aid warmly welcomes the decision to remove the presumption of contact in family court cases. This archaic presumption has put the lives of women and children at risk for far too long, and this must stop now.
‘Contact with an abuser is deeply harmful to children, with it not only risking their physical and mental wellbeing, behaviour, and development, but also their lives, in the most extreme of cases. Decision makers need to recognise that abuse is a pattern of behaviours, and that the potential for escalation and risk of harm is there even after the parent’s relationship has ended.
‘Today’s decision is especially poignant, coming on the same day as the anniversary of Paul Throssell’s death, the son of our ambassador, Claire Throssell. Yesterday, we held an event in Parliament which commemorated Jack and Paul, as well as all the children who lost their lives and were silenced by the dangerous ‘pro-contact’ culture.’
Earlier this week, the Government also announced plans to automatically restrict the exercise of parental responsibility in cases where a person with parental responsibility has been convicted of a serious sexual offence against any child, and where a child is born of rape. Protecting both mothers and children, these amendments to the Victims and Courts Bill are crucial on the government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.
Claire’s book , For My Boys, is out now. With a foreword from Mel B, it tells the story of Jack and Paul and calls on the government to change the presumption of contact guidelines. To order For My Boys published by Mirror Books, click here .
If you or a loved one needs help with a toxic relationship visit www.womensaid.org.uk, call Samaritans on 116 123, or call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0808 2000 247 (free phone run by Refuge) / The Men’s Advice Line, for male domestic abuse survivors – 0808 801 0327 (run by Respect). In an emergency, always call 999.
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