Ellie Gould murder: Family call for tougher jail sentence

Ellie's family said she was "a lovely girl, funny, bright and intelligent"

The family of a teenage girl who was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend as she revised for her A-levels have called for a tougher prison sentence.

Thomas Griffiths was jailed for 12-and-a half years after admitting murdering Ellie Gould, 17, at her home in Calne, Wiltshire, on 3 May.

Ellie's mother Carole Gould said: "Seventeen years would give me closure because that was her life."

The Attorney General's (AG) office will decide on an appeal on 6 December.

The sentence has been referred to the AG's office under the "unduly lenient sentence scheme" which has received "in excess of 101" referrals asking the AG to examine the sentence handed down to Griffiths by Bristol Crown Court.

Griffiths, now aged 18, was 17 when he killed Ellie after she ended their relationship.

Ellie's mother said the family's grief was "on hold" while they "fight for justice for Ellie".

Carole Gould said Ellie's friends and the community had been affected

Mrs Gould said: "We were devastated when the sentence was passed down and feel completely let down by the British justice system.

"It just doesn't seem right that a young girl can be sitting at home revising for her A-levels and somebody can come in and brutally murder her - and the perpetrator's punishment is 12 and a half years. How is that ever, ever justice?"

She said the legal process was a "crazy system" where under-18-year-olds "have the same starting point" as younger children.

Thomas Griffiths was 17 when he killed Ellie in her family home

Mrs Gould said: "But there's a huge difference between a 10-year-old and an 18-year-old. And really, the laws need to be changed."