Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government would seek to change the law on what age victims of domestic violence are recognized after 15-year-old Holly Newton was stabbed to death by her obsessed ex-boyfriend.

Logan MacPhail, now 17, was sentenced to life imprisonment last week for murdering Holly in an alley after stalking her for an hour in Hexham, Northumberland town center in January 2023.

The young killer stabbed her 36 times before she made an apparent confession to officers: ‘He was treating me so terribly. ‘I was thinking of killing myself but it went too far.’

This morning Ms Cooper said they needed to make sure ‘we find the right ways to record this kind of violence in youth relationships’ and that it was ‘a really serious problem’.

It comes after Holly’s mother, Micala Trussler, told the court in an emotional victim impact statement that she believed her daughter was a victim of domestic abuse and subjected to emotional turmoil by her ex-partner, despite being under 16 at the time.

This led to the schoolgirl’s parents calling for the law to be changed so that under-16s can be considered victims of domestic abuse.

Holly Newton, 15, was stabbed to death in a violent attack by her ex-boyfriend Logan MacPhail (then 16) after they ended their 18-month relationship.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government will seek to change the law on the age at which victims of domestic violence are recognised.

Currently, for this to be considered a domestic violence crime the victim and abuser must be over 16 years of age.

Mrs. Cooper told said BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘I have complete sympathy for Holly’s family. I can’t even imagine what they will experience. This was a truly terrible case.

‘Of course there is domestic abuse in teenage relationships. ‘We’re seeing an increase in violence in teenage relationships, and it really bothers me to see this increase.’

Downing Street today said Sir Keir Starmer’s thoughts were with Holly’s family and friends.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister’s thoughts are with Holly Newton’s family and friends and, in relation to changes to the law, the Home Secretary said this is an extremely important matter for the Government to consider.’

“We are seeing a lot of referrals to our service from young people aged 12 and over who are already in abusive relationships,” Samantha Neil, of the charity Harbor Support Services, told the BBC.

‘In terms of the law currently being 16 years old, it’s really not fair to our young people under that age.’

MacPhail was convicted after a trial at Newcastle Crown Court and last month a judge lifted a reporting restriction that prevented the media from identifying him.

He was sentenced Friday to life in prison with a minimum term of 17 years.

Holly’s family have now issued a warning to other families about how Holly is trying to control their daughter.

Chillingly, on the evening before the murder, he had visited the family home in Haltwhistle, Northumberland, and attempted to enter their home, but one of Holly’s siblings had been refused entry.

In a BBC interview filmed before MacPhail’s sentencing, Ms Trussler said: ‘I think if he had somehow managed to get into the house we could have been dealing with multiple murders.’

Logan MacPhail was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Holly after stalking and stabbing her to death in January 2023.

In a moving victim impact statement to the court, Holly’s mother Micala Trussler said she believed her daughter was a victim of domestic violence.

Holly Newton’s mother said MacPhail had been “obsessed with her for a long time.” ‘He didn’t like her going out’

Holly Newton’s funeral was held at Hexham Priory in Northumberland following her murder

Miss Trussler, pictured with Holly’s stepfather Lee outside Newcastle Crown Court, talks about how much control Lewis MacPhail has over his daughter Holly Newton

Flowers were given to Holly’s funeral, held three weeks after her death

He also said in an impact statement read to the court ahead of MacPhail’s sentencing: ‘I dread to think what might have happened to the rest of my family if he had been allowed in.’

The two young people met in the Army Cadets and their 18-month relationship blossomed over time, even though they lived 60 kilometers apart.

Her mother said Holly, who was sporty, adventurous and loved to dance, seemed happy in the relationship and so had no concerns about the pair initially.

However, the schoolgirl began expressing concerns to her mother about MacPhail’s behavior and they had previously separated, but got back together.

Her mother said Holly felt sorry for MacPhail, who has autism, a severe speech disorder and learning disabilities, and did not know how to end the relationship.

Ms Trussler said: ‘He got to a point where he had really made up his mind but he still had a hard time disconnecting, mainly because he wasn’t letting her do it.’

He added: ‘He’s been obsessed with her for a long time. He didn’t like her going out.

He didn’t want her to go out with her friends. He needed to know where he was at all times, even if he was at home. He wanted to know what he was doing.

‘He changed the passwords to all his social media accounts, so he was quite upset about that because he couldn’t get into any of them.

‘There was a lot of controlling behavior.’

Ms Trussler said that because of Holly’s young age, the legal system did not take into account that her daughter was a victim of domestic violence.

But the family were confident that MacPhail, then 16, exercised oppressive control over Holly, even though they did not live together.

Chilling CCTV footage shows hat-wearing MacPhail arriving in Hexham on the afternoon of the murder and covering his face before following Holly and her friends.

CCTV showed how Logan MacPhail stalked Holly Newton for 45 minutes before killing her

17-year-old killer is seen arriving in Hexham after getting off the bus

MacPhail, wearing a mask and hat, is seen approaching Holly as she stands at the bus stop looking at her phone.

The footage shows the killer on a bus heading to Hexham on the day of the attack. He was so consumed with jealousy that when he saw her walking through town with another boy, he stabbed her to death.

36 people were injured in the attack with the kitchen knife that MacPhail brought with him, and the weapon was broken in the attack, Holly said.

MacPhail told cops it was Holly’s idea to talk in the alley and that Holly had treated him ‘terribly’

Miss Trussler said Holly had told her that MacPhail had once warned her that ‘if he can’t have her, then no one can’.

The grieving mother added: ‘We didn’t know he really meant it.’

Police also want to raise awareness of toxic relationships between parents and young people.

Det. Sergeant Darren Davies said: ‘It’s pretty clear that as generations and technologies change, children generally become much more involved in each other’s lives and their relationships are much more intense than they were when I was 14, 15. or 16.

‘There needs to be parent, teacher and community conversations about the intensity of teenage relationships to ensure that young people are aware of what is healthy and what is not when it comes to contact, friends, passwords and access to each other’s social media and friend groups.

‘Everyone is connected in some way these days.

‘Parents need to be much more aware because these things can happen.’

He added: ‘More needs to be done on healthy relationships with young people to ensure they understand where the boundaries are and where they should be at such a young age.’