Jeremy and Susan Everard said a whole life order for the killer of Sarah, left, “made us feel that the enormity of his crime was recognised”.
But they are today backing a drive to have murderers and sex offenders locked up for longer, in order to “give victims, their families and society a sense of justice having been served”.
Campaigners claim that the justice system is "loaded towards the criminals", with killers able to eventually leave jail and restart their lives - while their victims are "never coming back home".
Labour plans to jail fewer criminals, to prevent prison overcrowding crises.
Jeremy and Susan Everard said, ahead of meeting victims minister Alex Davies-Jones and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch: "We feel it is important that sentences should truly reflect the seriousness of the crime and give victims, their families and society a sense of justice having been served.
"Although nothing can alleviate the sense of loss, it is a relief to us that our daughter's murderer received a whole life order. It made us feel that the enormity of his crime was recognised and that our daughter's life was valued. We know of other families in similar circumstances who have not had this small comfort."
Marketing executive Sarah, 33, was kidnapped, raped and murdered by serving policeman Wayne Couzens in March 2021.
The case prompted nationwide outrage, with judge Lord Justice Fulford telling Couzens as he was sentenced: "The misuse of a police officer's role such as occurred in this case in order to kidnap, rape and murder a lone victim is of equal seriousness as a murder for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause."
Campaign group Justice For Victims has been set up amid concern about serious criminals escaping adequate punishment.
Katie Brett's sister Sasha was just 16 when she was raped and stabbed more than 100 times in 2013.
Memory
More than 70 criminals are serving whole life terms but Sasha's killer David Minto was jailed for a minimum of 35 years, prompting further heartache for her family.
Ms Brett said: "The people who really get the life sentence are families like mine.
"Most murderers end up getting out of prison sometimes after as little as 15 or 20 years. My sister had decades of life ahead of her.
"Surely if you take a life the starting point should be spending the rest of your life in prison?
"That's what we wanted as a family and what would have been respectful of my sister's memory. The whole system seems loaded towards the criminals. We only had 28 days to appeal the sentence - when we were grieving and traumatised.
"But criminals are allowed to appeal after this. I hope working with this group we can start to put justice for victims at the top of the agenda."
Ayse Hussein, whose cousin Jan Mustafa was murdered by a paedophile in 2018, urged ministers "give us what our lo...
But they are today backing a drive to have murderers and sex offenders locked up for longer, in order to “give victims, their families and society a sense of justice having been served”.
Campaigners claim that the justice system is "loaded towards the criminals", with killers able to eventually leave jail and restart their lives - while their victims are "never coming back home".
Labour plans to jail fewer criminals, to prevent prison overcrowding crises.
Jeremy and Susan Everard said, ahead of meeting victims minister Alex Davies-Jones and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch: "We feel it is important that sentences should truly reflect the seriousness of the crime and give victims, their families and society a sense of justice having been served.
"Although nothing can alleviate the sense of loss, it is a relief to us that our daughter's murderer received a whole life order. It made us feel that the enormity of his crime was recognised and that our daughter's life was valued. We know of other families in similar circumstances who have not had this small comfort."
Marketing executive Sarah, 33, was kidnapped, raped and murdered by serving policeman Wayne Couzens in March 2021.
The case prompted nationwide outrage, with judge Lord Justice Fulford telling Couzens as he was sentenced: "The misuse of a police officer's role such as occurred in this case in order to kidnap, rape and murder a lone victim is of equal seriousness as a murder for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause."
Campaign group Justice For Victims has been set up amid concern about serious criminals escaping adequate punishment.
Katie Brett's sister Sasha was just 16 when she was raped and stabbed more than 100 times in 2013.
Memory
More than 70 criminals are serving whole life terms but Sasha's killer David Minto was jailed for a minimum of 35 years, prompting further heartache for her family.
Ms Brett said: "The people who really get the life sentence are families like mine.
"Most murderers end up getting out of prison sometimes after as little as 15 or 20 years. My sister had decades of life ahead of her.
"Surely if you take a life the starting point should be spending the rest of your life in prison?
"That's what we wanted as a family and what would have been respectful of my sister's memory. The whole system seems loaded towards the criminals. We only had 28 days to appeal the sentence - when we were grieving and traumatised.
"But criminals are allowed to appeal after this. I hope working with this group we can start to put justice for victims at the top of the agenda."
Ayse Hussein, whose cousin Jan Mustafa was murdered by a paedophile in 2018, urged ministers "give us what our lo...
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Daily Express (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 26, 2025