In England and Wales desecration of a dead body is not an offence in its own right and that needs to change.
Chantel Taylor was violently and savagely murdered in 2007, the killer then went on to desecrate her body and conceal it, never correctly revealing where her remains were.
Since her murder, Chantel’s mother Jean has been fighting tirelessly for justice for her daughter.
Not only could Jean and Chantel’s three children not fully grieve – they could not bury her either.
And by concealing the body serious evidence was hidden from the authorities too.
The murderer is now out on the streets.
I’ve known Jean for many years and have helped her support many other families who have endured a loved one being murdered thorough her organisation Families Fighting for Justice.
Now however, that Chantel’s murderer is back on the streets, Jean has started a campaign to introduce Chantel’s Law to make desecration of a body a criminal offence in its own right, not just an aggravating factor, as is currently the case.
Last week, I hosted an event in Westminster and also raised the issue in Parliament. I am pleased to have secured a meeting for Jean and myself with Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones to discuss the case for a Chantel’s law and am pushing the minister to ensure we get a date for this meeting as soon as possible.
The Law Commission is currently looking at the issues surrounding desecration so we will be working with them to push for Chantel’s Law and get it on the statute books.
Grieving families unable to bury their loved ones after a murder is cruel injustice and one thankfully, most of us will never experience. But we owe it to families affected by these heinous crimes to fight. America and Germany already have these laws and we need it too.
