Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said she will consider how laws on domestic violence apply to victims under 16 following the murder of Holly Newton in Hexham. 

The 15-year-old was killed in a "vicious and brutal" attack by her ex-boyfriend Logan MacPhail on January 27, 2023, who was last week jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 years.

MacPhail, then 16, had stalked the "caring, funny, energetic" teen for an hour through Hexham, before knifing her 36 times in an alleyway. 

Today (November 4), Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that she would look at laws on domestic violence following the tragic case. 

Holly NewtonHolly Newton (Image: Northumbria Police)

She said: “This is a really serious issue, and I have all sympathy with Holly’s family. I can’t imagine what they will have gone through. This was a truly awful case.

“Of course, there is domestic abuse in teenage relationships. There is violence within teenage relationships that we have seen increasing, and it really troubles me that we have seen it increasing.”

Asked about calls from Holly’s parents to change the law so that under-16s can be considered victims of domestic abuse, Ms Cooper added: “We will particularly, specifically look at this, because we need to make sure that we have got the right ways of recording this kind of violence in teenage relationships.”

Home Secretary Yvette CooperHome Secretary Yvette Cooper (Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)

As previously reported, MacPhail travelled from Gateshead armed with a kitchen knife and wearing a snood on the day of the attack, before following Holly and her friends for around 45 minutes who were unaware of his presence.

As Holly and the boy visited a takeaway on the town’s high street, he then approached her and asked if she would talk with him in a nearby alleyway.

After following him, MacPhail then launched his attack, and when her friend heard Holly cry out, he left the shop and intervened, before he was also stabbed in the shoulder and leg.

MacPhail was arrested and subsequently charged overnight with Holly’s murder, and later with grievous bodily harm with intent against the 16-year-old boy.

The now-17-year-old had previously admitted manslaughter and possession of a bladed article but denied murder and grievous bodily harm with intent.

He remained anonymous until last month when the judge lifted a reporting restriction which had prevented the media from identifying him due to his age.

MacPhail, of Birtley in Gateshead, was found guilty of both offences in August by jurors following a six-week trial at Newcastle Crown Court.


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Today he appeared before the same court and was handed a life sentence for murder, as well as a five-year prison sentence for grievous bodily harm with intent which will run concurrently.

If you are concerned about your own or a loved one’s relationship, we would encourage you to speak to someone you trust and, where appropriate, report to the most appropriate agency.

If you have immediate concerns that you or someone else might be at risk or in danger, please contact police immediately by calling 999.