The mother of murdered Ellie Gould called for a change in the law over prison sentences.

Ellie, just 17, was murdered at her home in Calne by Thomas Griffiths last year.

Griffiths, who used a kitchen knife in the attack, was handed jail time of 12 and a half years for the murder.

Current guidelines state that if a weapon is taken to a murder scene, then sentence lengths will start at 25 years, but if the weapon is already at the crime scene, then that is reduced to 15 years.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald:

Ellie's mother, Carole Gould, has told the BBC: "These cases... are happening all the time, and yet the government is simply not interested in changing sentencing so the punishment fits the crime."

The Ministry of Justice responded: "All murder rightly carries a life sentence and it is for judges to decide the minimum prison term."

This week, North Wiltshire MP James Gray spoke in the House of Commons on behalf of Ellie's family.

During Questions for the Secretary of State for Justice, he highlighted issues surrounding her murderer's reduced sentence.

He said: “Young Ellie Gould was brutally murdered in her own home in Calne in my constituency last year. Her assailant, Thomas Griffiths, was given a sentence of 12 and a half years because he was 17. The sentence was further ameliorated by the fact that he did not bring the weapon to the murder scene, but picked up a kitchen knife at the scene. He was 18 when he was convicted and given 12 and a half years. I very much welcome the fact that the Minister is considering this matter.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald:

"Does she not agree that 12 and a half years for a crime of that sort committed by a boy aged 17 years and eight months is woefully inadequate? He should have got the 15 to 25 years he would have got had he been an adult.”

The Minister of State for Justice, Lucy Frazer, responded: "I cannot begin to imagine what Ellie Gould’s parents must have been through. In addition to the point that I made about introducing a sliding scale to reflect age and severity, I want to make it clear that we are considering a particular minimum threshold for those who are 17. My hon. Friend mentioned the knife already being present at the scene of crime, in the home. He will know that the Sentencing Council has produced guidelines for judges on domestic abuse, which outline that the domestic setting of the offending behaviour makes it more serious.

"As he knows, these are matters that we are looking at in our sentencing White Paper.”