Linda Westcarr is urging for changes in UK criminal law, specifically regarding sentencing for individuals convicted of serious offenses who are diagnosed with mental health conditions. Her campaign stems from the case of Gogoa Tape, who was convicted of manslaughter in the 2024 death of Westcarr's 25-year-old daughter, Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche. Tape received a restricted hospital order with no fixed or minimum term, a sentence that has raised profound concerns for Westcarr and her family.

Westcarr's daughter was killed in April 2024, reportedly after being lured from her home under false pretenses by Tape. According to Westcarr, the attack was prolonged and violent, lasting approximately eight minutes and involving strangulation, blunt force, and knife wounds. Despite the severity of the assault and evidence of controlling behavior and threats prior to the incident, Tape was not convicted of murder. Prosecutors accepted psychiatric evidence suggesting he was suffering from psychosis at the time, attributed to previously undiagnosed schizophrenia. This decision was made without consultation with Kennedi's family.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing

The family's distress was compounded when, less than a year after sentencing, they learned that Tape, currently housed in a facility near Westcarr's home, was being considered for escorted leave. This prospect raises fears that Tape could soon be released into the community where he committed the crime.

Westcarr and her brother, Leon, supported by Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, chair of Refuge, are seeking a meeting with Justice Secretary David Lammy. They aim to initiate an independent inquiry into the handling of Kennedi's case and to address what they describe as an anomaly in sentencing laws where hospital orders with restrictions are issued without a minimum term. This, they argue, allows individuals who have committed violent acts to be released into the community relatively quickly.

"Hundreds of offenders receive hospital orders with restrictions," Westcarr stated. "If somebody who killed a young mother in these circumstances doesn’t meet the threshold for long-term detention, who does? Treatment cannot come at the expense of accountability, proportionality or public protection."

Family's Account and Legal Discrepancies

Westcarr highlights a significant disparity between the evidence of Tape's actions and the narrative accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). She points to a letter Tape wrote to Kennedi shortly before her death, stating his intent to kill her, which he later dismissed as a joke. Westcarr also describes Tape's behavior as increasingly controlling and isolated Kennedi from her friends. She believes Tape lured her daughter out on the night of her death, citing the fabricated job quote as a false pretense. The subsequent actions of Tape, including using Kennedi's fingerprint to send messages from her phone and disposing of her body, are presented by Westcarr as evidence against the claim of impaired responsibility due to psychosis.

"None of this seems to me to be the actions of a man in the grip of a psychotic episode," Westcarr said. She contends that a jury should have had the opportunity to hear all the evidence and make their own determination.

The family was informed about the psychiatric evidence and the subsequent plea to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility as a fait accompli, leading to a conviction without a trial. They also expressed dismay that the sentencing hearing did not involve a challenge or testing of the psychiatric evidence, despite their disagreement with the assessment.

Advocacy for Change

Westcarr is now raising Kennedi's four-year-old daughter. She emphasizes that while the legal process has concluded, her uncertainty persists due to the possibility of Tape's future release. The family seeks greater transparency and consultation in such cases, advocating for a system that balances mental health treatment with public safety and accountability.

"My daughter deserved better, and my granddaughter deserves better," Westcarr declared. "And I won’t stop until that happens."