THE government is set to review the age individuals are recognised as victims of domestic abuse after a teenager was killed by her ex-boyfriend.

Holly Newton was 15 when she was murdered in Hexham, Northumberland, by her stalker ex-boyfriend in January 2023.

Her parents have called for a change in law so that under-16s can be considered victims of domestic abuse.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said this is a “really serious issue,” telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We need to make sure that we have got the right ways of recording this kind of violence in teenage relationships.”

Ms Newton’s mother, Micala Trussler, described what she called “controlling behaviour” by Logan MacPhail.

But she said that, because of her daughter’s age, the legal system did not consider that she had been a victim of domestic abuse.

Mr MacPhail was convicted of murder following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court in August.

On Friday, he received a life prison sentence, with a minimum term of 17 years.