'Killer who stabbed my sister should not be freed'

The injuries of Sasha Marsden were so bad she could only be identified by DNA from her toothbrush

A woman whose sister was stabbed 58 times by her killer has called for families to have the right to appeal when murderers are not given a whole life sentence.

Sasha Marsden, 16, from Blackpool, was stabbed to death in 2013 when she was lured to a hotel with the promise of a job.

Sasha's sister, Katie Brett, is part of a group called Justice for Victims campaigning for tougher sentencing for violent and sexual criminals.

Ms Brett said: "Dangerous people are being released onto the streets and they are going to kill again and more innocent lives will be lost."

Katie Brett says families have lost loved ones for good while killers are released back into society

David Minto was sentenced to life with a minimum 35-year term in 2013 for murdering Ms Marsden, who he lured to a hotel run by his girlfriend's mother, before sexually assaulting her and stabbing her so ferociously she had to be identified by DNA from her toothbrush.

Someone handed a life sentence can be released from prison on licence after serving a minimum term, but a whole life order means a person can never be released, except in exceptional compassionate circumstances.

Ms Brett told BBC Breakfast: "If we were allowed to appeal his sentence and he was given a whole life order we would have the reassurance as a family that one day he is not going to get out, he's not going to kill somebody else.

"One good thing that has come out of Sasha's death – if anything good can come out of something so horrendous – is that he can't hurt anybody else, he is locked up.

"But if he gets out, Sasha's died for nothing."

'You could bump into your child's killer'

She added: "Rehabilitation is great if you can rehabilitate a person but some people are beyond that.

"You've done something so horrendous you can't rehabilitate that, but also the victim can't come out of their grave in a set period of time - they have lost their life, their families have to live with that loss for the rest of their lives.

"How is that fair? One day they [the family] could potentially bump into their child's killer in the supermarket and you are still grieving."

An MoJ spokesperson said "delivering for victims must always be a priority" for the criminal justice system.

They added that the Lord Chancellor has also asked the Law Commission to consider whether homicide law and sentencing guidelines are working effectively.