Libby Squire’s mother calls for whole life sentences for killers

The mother of a murdered Hull student has called for whole life sentences for convicted killers.

Libby Squire, 21, was raped and murdered by Pawel Relowicz in January 2019. Her body was recovered weeks later from the Humber Estuary.

Relowicz, 26, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years at Sheffield Crown Court in 2021.

Her mother, Lisa Squire, is campaigning for a change in the law so that “anybody sentenced for murder spends the rest of their life in prison”.

Mrs Squire was speaking at an event at Bridlington Spa as part of the White Ribbon Campaign, which aims to encourage action to prevent violence against women and girls.

She told the BBC that convicted murderers “shouldn’t be out on the streets”.

“He was 24 when he killed her,” she said.

“So, he’s going to be eligible for parole at 51 and that’s not a life sentence.

“We’re the ones with a life sentence, because we don’t have her.”

Mrs Squire also urged the public to stop and call the police if they see people in situations when they “feel that something isn’t right”.

“Just the simple act of being an active bystander, or an upstander even, is much better than just walking on by,” she said.

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