'my murdered daughter’s will helped me keep her children safe'

Joanna Simpson sent a letter to her mother saying she wanted her to look after her children after she died (Picture: Family Handout)

A campaigner has urged domestic abuse victims to make sure their wills outline who they want to look after their children,should their lives be lost to violence.

Diana Parkes,whose daughter Joanna was murdered by her estranged husband on Halloween in 2010,said getting custody of her grandchildren was a lot easier as Joanna had written to her eight years before her death expressing her wishes.

Under current laws,parents who kill a partner or ex-partner with whom they have children still retain their parental responsibility after the sentencing of murder or voluntary manslaughter. Joanna’s ex-husband was sentenced to 26 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter with diminished responsibility.

However,campaigners are urging for this to be changed under Jade’s Law,named after Jade Ward,who was murdered by her partner in 2021 while their sons slept.

Jade’s Law was one of the final pieces of legislation passed by the Conservative government ahead of last year’s general election as part of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024,but has yet to be enacted.

A Government source told Metro this is because ‘it’s a complex piece of legislation’. It is hoping to implement it in 2026.

Speaking at an event in Westminster this week,which was run by Diana’s charity,the Joanna Simpson Foundation,alongside Children Heard and Seen,she told Metro: ‘I do think it’s really important that people should put in their wills what happens to their children. This will do an enormous amount of safeguarding for the children.

Joanna Simpson is seen with her two children during their childhood (Picture: ITV/family collects)

‘Jo wrote to me in 2002,saying that if anything happened to her and her ex-husband,would I look after the children? So that was quite a plus in getting the children. And she put it in her will.

‘It was relatively easy to get the children then. We did have to go through some hoops – we had visits from Cafcass (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) officers. But it has been a total joy to bring up these two children.

‘There was never any doubt in my mind that I would have them – they’re my flesh and blood,they’re Jo’s flesh and blood. I brought them up as my own children. They have been my salvation and I think I’ve been theirs. I just love them to bits.’

During the event,Diana spoke on a panel alongside mothers and children bereaved by domestic homicide,who are urging the government to do more to support bereaved children and carers.

Joanna’s mother Diana Parkes (left) and Hetti Barkworth-Nanton (right) co-founded the Joanna Simpson Foundation in Jo’s memory (Picture: PA)

‘When Jo was killed,Hetti and I thought,“There is absolutely nothing for children. They are the hidden,forgotten people. Their mother is dead,their father is in prison. This needs to change,’ Diana said.

Roann Court,whose mother was killed by a former partner when she was 15,also spoke on the panel. She said: ‘As a child who lost a parent to domestic homicide,this campaign is highlighting the impact that it has on children. I stand alongside other warriors in calling for changes in the way that the support for children is handled and how we are victims,and that children see and hear more than people expect them to see.

‘By giving us a voice through this campaign,I hope the UK Government will change the way that children are perceived and looked after a domestic homicide incident.’

Joanna is seen with Diana,who said it was a ‘total joy’ to bring up her children after her passing (Picture: The Joanna Simpson Foundation)

A spokesman for the government said it was taking ‘decisive action’ to stop domestic abuse.

‘We’re repealing the presumption of parental involvement to better protect children from abusive parents and our Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is the most transformative piece of child protection legislation in a generation,’ he said.

‘We are also recruiting thousands more family help workers whilst improving information sharing between services to ensure vulnerable children don’t fall through the cracks.’

The goals of The Joanna Simpson Foundation and Children Heard and Seen campaign

Adults who were bereaved by domestic homicide as children and carers,alongside The Joanna Simpson Foundation & Children Heard and Seen,are calling for the UK Government to step up and provide more support to future children and their carers who are bereaved by domestic homicide from the very beginning and for as long as it takes.Professionals want to help,but lack the training,resources,and confidence to do so. The system is failing these children,and the cost – both human and financial – is immense.The campaign is calling for:– Children’s voices at the centre: every child must have an advocate,and their wishes must shape every decision.· Every child bereaved by domestic homicide to receive long-term trauma-informed support.· Full support for carers: financial,therapeutic,practical,and legal help,so no one is left to fight alone.· Legal reform: Jade’s Law must be implemented urgently,so perpetrators lose parental rights at conviction.· Perpetrators to be automatically restricted from financially gaining from the murder of their spouse. They should not materially benefit from their crime.· Peer support networks: because healing happens when children and carers meet others who truly understand.· Immediate specific training,national toolkits and guidance available for social workers,teachers and other professionals who are in contact with children affected by domestic homicide.