Victims should have more rights than perpetrators – George

West Cornwall MP, Andrew George, will denounce police practice which gives killers more rights than the families of their victims.

In a debate he will lead on Wednesday in the Commons he will highlight the “horrific injustice” in the case of the killing of Claire Oldfield-Hampson; the sister of his constituent, Joanne Bryce. Mr George will criticise rules which insist that where killers who are deemed to be “next of kin” to the person they have killed can, bizarrely, be given rights to control their victim’s estate, care of family members, their victim’s diaries, treasured family heirlooms and the power to authorise the funeral of the person they have killed.

Mr George has previously raised the shocking way in which the State had handled this case. Claire Oldfield-Hampson was killed by her husband, David Hampson on 25th September 1996 at their home in the town of March, Cambridgeshire.  He buried her body in their garden.  Claire’s body was exhumed from the garden on 16th December 1998.  At the subsequent Court hearing Hampson was convicted of the diminished charge of “manslaughter” of his wife. This plea was accepted because it was ruled that Hampson had suffered psychologically from the affects of his wife’s “nagging”!

Claire’s daughter was placed in the care the perpetrator’s (rather than the victim’s) family and family heirlooms, Claire’s diaries and effects became the property of the killer (not the blood relatives) because he is deemed the “next of kin”.

In the debate Mr George will challenge these established practices and ask Home Office Minister, Damian Green MP to ensure that victims and their families have more rights than perpetrators of crime – particularly where it involves a “capital” offence.

 

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