The family of a woman who was shot by her husband at their home in the village of Barham near Ipswich have released a statement saying they are unhappy with his manslaughter conviction.
Hartshorne-Jones was shot by her husband Peter Hartshorne-Jones while their eight-year-old twin boys slept in nearby rooms.
Silke Hartshorne-Jones was shot twice by Peter Hartshorne-Jones in May last year.
The gun dealer was sentenced to life with a minimum sentence of eight years, after pleading guilty to manslaughter by diminshed responsibility. Silke’s family said they felt disappointed by the outcome of the justice system
Silke’s family said they felt disappointed by the outcome of the justice system and Silke’s brutal killing had left them “paralysed” and fundamentally shaken.
They said that Hartshorne-Jones had inflicted on his own sons the “worst possible pain a child can endure”, and Silke’s sons will have to grow up without seeing their |beloved Mummy ever again”.
A statement from Silke’s family members said: “We feel that the guidelines of the UK legal system are very lenient and extremely favourable towards the perpetrator. What particularly startles us is the fact that the defendant himself can reduce his penalty by a third merely by admitting his guilt. In our case, a ruthless murderer now has the perspective of being released after a minimum sentence of eight years. Silke, by contrast, will be gone forever. Her sons will have to grow up without her, without the perspective of seeing their beloved Mummy ever again.
“Terrible months are behind our family – a time, however, in which we have also experienced a lot of consolation, human warmth and compassion by many people we met in England. We are particularly indebted to our lawyers and the investigators of Suffolk Constabulary for their highly professional work and their unwavering support. Our deepest gratitude is to the warm-hearted neighbours in Barham who opened their house to the two boys at the night of the murder, in the most terrible hours of their lives. And, of course, to this wonderful and extraordinary host family who gave them a home in the first four weeks.”
Credit: Source link
