Petitions and activism
To ask you to sign these petitions (Natalie Connelly's murder)
WomanWithAltitude · 24/12/2018 08:55
Natalie Connelly was beaten, raped and murdered. John Broadhurst beat her, broke her eye socket, forced a bottle of carpet cleaner inside her, squirted bleach on her face and left her to bleed to death.
Despite the fact that Natalie was extremely intoxicated, he convinced the judge that she had consented to this, and that it was simply rough sex gone wrong. He received a sentence of just 3yrs 8 months. 
There is also a thread in feminism with the details here: (trigger warning)
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3456679--TRIGGER-WARNING-Powerful-message-from-a-midwife-re-the-murder-of-Natalie-Connolly-TRIGGER-WARNING?msgid=83555647#83555647
There are two petitions on Change about this, please do take time to sign both.
//www.change.org/p/attorney-general-her-name-was-natalie-connolly
//www.change.org/p/correspondence-attorneygeneral-gsi-gov-uk-criminal-punishment-to-fit-the-crime-in-domestic-violence-cases
Stopfightingyourbrother · 24/12/2018 09:45
Signed both and have emailed Attorney General, thanks for thread. RIP Natalie
BirthdayKake · 24/12/2018 09:48
Signed. I am fucking sick of men being able to murder women, then be given a light sentence because it was "rough sex gone wrong". RIP Natalie xx
WomanWithAltitude · 24/12/2018 09:50
Thanks, all of you.
It makes me feel sick to know that this is how judges view women.... the murderer's story has just been accepted as fact despite the fact that it is so glaringly untrue.
CitrusFruit9 · 24/12/2018 09:55
Signed. This is a shocking case involving a man who clearly hates women and I find it alarming that he will be free to do this again to other women. I find the sentence unbelievable.
I'm darn sure she did not consent to that treatment (where is the sexy in that?) and in any event there used to be a principle of law which said that you could not consent to something which caused you actual harm even if you wanted to - not sure where that has gone.
Grasslands123 · 24/12/2018 10:00
I am not condoning this man’s actions, but it is too simplistic to say the judge accepted his case. The Defence offered that he would plead guilty to manslaughter on grounds of gross negligence, because he left her knowing she was injured. The Crown dropped the murder and greviously bodily harm charge. I’m trying to link to the judgment on sentencing, but this man did not get 3 yrs 8 months for murder or because he argued he killed her during rough sex.
JagerPlease · 24/12/2018 10:12
I believe the Attorney General has already made a reference in this case so it will get considered by the Court of Appeal.
It's a really sad case but obviously we don't know the facts. S&M that causes injury is illegal (there's precedent on that where both parties consented but one was still prosecuted) and that will be all the prosecution could prove in this - that he willingly or neglectfully caused injuries but didn't intend to kill or seriously harm her (hence manslaughter).
I believe they are challenging the length of sentence though as you can get far more than that for manslaughter
Kitkatmonster · 24/12/2018 10:12
Sentencing remarks:
www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/broadhurst-sentencing-remarks.pdf
Italiangreyhound · 24/12/2018 10:37
JagerPlease but we do know some of the facts. He was jealous, he has shown no remorse, he described her as 'dead as a donut." It may be very hard to prove he intended to kill her but I cannot imagine how anyone would:
Think a person high on drugs or alcohol, to the extend she was, had consented
Would want bleach sprayed in their face or to be assaulted with a bottle
Would want to have 40 separate physical injuries
If we are saying this is what some men think some women want - then we are fucked as a society.
CitrusFruit9 · 24/12/2018 10:38
Chilling to read. Would you want your daughter dating this man?
Italiangreyhound · 24/12/2018 11:07
Grasslands123 this man killed her. Because of him, she is dead. He had the chance to call an ambulance but he didn't. The reason an ambulance was needed was because of what he did to her. He didn't just find her body in the street and fail to call an ambulance. He caused 40 separate injuries. That's not sex, that's violence leading to death. And knowing he was jealous because he was twat, I don't see any evidence he didn't intend to kill her. If he had not wanted her to die, why did he not summon help?
I think the whole legal profession has a lot to answer for for even allowing tgis kind of defence. If your sec game goes wrong you call an ambulance. I'd like to know how many men with female partners die from sex games going wrong!
I think if he had done this to a middle aged male judge he would have been sentenced to under 4 years?
WomanWithAltitude · 24/12/2018 11:21
Exactly Italiangreyhound.
Manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of life. What this man did should be at the upper end of the sentencing range.
BoreOfWhabylon · 24/12/2018 11:32
Please can people take a few minutes to read this piece by Laura Richards, someone with extensive professional experience in this area, who clearly knows what she is talking about.
www.laurarichards.co.uk/featured/misogyny-at-its-worst-hernamewasnatalieconnolly/
I'd like Mumsnet to campaign on this issue. This "she liked it rough" excuse has been going on for far too long
www.wecantconsenttothis.uk
gluteustothemaximus · 24/12/2018 13:44
Signed and shared. Really want this to get noticed.
We had Corbyn on the front news and the 'stupid woman' comment, with faux feminism, but REAL feminism issues like this one, no where to be seen.
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