Abuse victim calls for review of sentencing guidelines

A victim of domestic violence who is campaigning for a review of sentencing guidelines has received nearly 100,000 signatures on a petition.

Paris Shears, 30, began the petition after her ex partner, Robert Hastings, pleaded guilty to several charges including intentional strangulation on the day of trial after pleading not guilty 236 days before.

She questions whether Hastings received a reduced sentence for this and says she is "hopeful" that her petition "could be the start of a judicial system reform".

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said was it currently reviewing the recommendation of an independent review of criminal courts which aims to encourage defendants to plead guilty earlier.

Hastings changed his plea to guilty on day one of the trial on 9 March 2026 to one count of intentional strangulation and one count of assault by beating after pleading not guilty on 16 July 2025.

The further charge of controlling or coercive behaviour was left on file.

He received 18 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

Shears believes he was given a reduced sentence because of this guilty plea - even though it came on the day of the trial.

The trial did not go ahead, and she said it meant he maintained his control until the last minute.

Shears' petition is calling on the Government to introduce legislation - known as Paris' Law - to prevent defendants charged with controlling or coercive behaviour receiving a sentencing reduction for a guilty plea entered after initially pleading not guilty.

Speaking about finding out his sentence, she said: "It took the wind out of me, it really did.

"I was stood in my kitchen and I literally fell to my knees and I curled up in a ball crying about it because I genuinely thought that I was getting my freedom.

"The witness care team phoned me a few days after the sentencing to ask me how I felt, and I told them to mark my words that I'm changing the law... I was like, you are going to see my face, you're going to see my name, and something's going to change.

"It really ignited something in me that it needs to change.

Shears said she "struggled to see any life beyond trial for a very, very long time".

"Even after he changed his plea, I still struggled to see where life was going to be going after that," she added.

A guilty plea produces greater benefits the earlier the plea is indicated.

Entering a guilty plea on the first day of trial in England and Wales typically earns a defendant a 10% sentence reduction.

An MoJ spokesperson said: "Violence against women and girls is an epidemic that this government is working to halve in the next decade, and we express our sympathies for Paris Shears.

"Sir Brian Leveson's independent review of criminal courts made it clear there are benefits to ensuring those who intend to plead guilty do so at the earliest opportunity.

"We are currently carefully reviewing Sir Brian's recommendations, and we will set out our full response in due course."

"I'm not trying to increase sentencing or impose harsher sentencing - this is about fairness and and putting the victims back at the heart of these cases," said Shears.

"I'm really hopeful that this could be the start of a judicial system reform.

"He got handed a suspended sentence, I'm still living with life sentence."

If the petition receives 100,000 signatures it will be considered for debate in Parliament. It will stay open until 21 October.