Sian O'Callaghan: Murdered woman's family back calls for taxi safety

Sian O'Callaghan was a 22-year-old office worker from Swindon who was killed leaving a nightclub in March 2011

The family of a murdered woman have backed calls for laws requiring more rigorous safety checks for taxi and private hire drivers.

Sian O'Callaghan was killed by driver Christopher Halliwell after getting into his taxi to leave a nightclub in Swindon on 19 March 2011.

Her relatives said the tenth anniversary of her death had reminded them of how much she had missed out on.

They are supporting calls for the establishment of a national database.

In the wake of her murder her family wants stricter laws on safety checks for taxi and private hire drivers

Ms O'Callaghan's family is supporting an initiative by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust personal safety charity.

It said a database was in development of licence revocations and refusals for taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers.

The database would help to reduce the risk of unsuitable drivers whose licence had been revoked being given a licence by a different local authority, it added.

The trust is also campaigning for national minimum standards that would require licensing authorities to carry out DBS checks on all taxi and PHV licence holders at least every nine months.

It wants to see the development of a policy too that clearly specifies which crimes and behaviours result in the revocation of driver licences, which is not limited to convictions, but also considers the nature of alleged crimes.

Taxi driver Christopher Halliwell was jailed for life in October 2012

A spokesman for the trust said: "We believe that current taxi and private hire vehicle licensing requirements are not fit for purpose and should be urgently addressed as part of a much-needed push by government to prioritise the safety of women in public spaces and transport."

Ms O' Callaghan's body was found five days after her disappearance in Uffington, Oxfordshire.

Her mother Elaine Pickford said: "People say time is a healer but the passing of time also brings home the time Sian hasn't lived."

She said she was reminded of how much they had all missed out on, all the experiences her daughter should have had and where she would now be in life.

"We as a family are coping and going forward, which I know is what Sian would want for us."

Halliwell, 57, was jailed for life in October 2012. He was later handed a whole-life sentence for the murder in 2003 of Becky Godden from Swindon.

Police said there was a "distinct possibility" Halliwell was a serial killer, although he is not currently under investigation for any other crimes.