was just 15 years old when she was

Her brutal end to life came after she lived with the harrowing fear that , who struggled to accept their separation, could one day harm her. who has today been , was 16 at the time of the murder on January 27 last year.

Tragically, the 'bright and beautiful' teen had earlier that day opened up to a pal about her concern over MacPhail, telling them he was 'basically stalking her'. The youth followed Holly as she went shopping with friends after school, having been angered by her decision to end their 18-month relationship.

At his trial, Newcastle Crown Court heard how chilling CCTV footage showed MacPhail following the friends in disguise, taking care not to be seen for around 45 minutes. He then enticed her into a dark alleyway, under the pretence of wanting to talk, before, inflicting 10 further slash wounds. She was later pronounced dead in hospital.

MacPhail later claimed that Holly told him that she loved him as he took her life - but this is something Holly's bereaved mother Micala Trussler 'refuses to believe'.

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In her devastating victim impact statement, given before sentencing, Micala, who arrived at the scene as her fatally injured daughter was loaded into an ambulance, recalled: "He was welcomed into our home and had been mild-mannered and polite. But it became apparent that Holly was more mature than him and they grew apart."

According to Micala, Holly struggled to end the relationship as MacPhail had threatened to harm himself if she did so. Micala believes Holly was the victim of domestic abuse, and a controlling partner, and is now campaigning for schools to teach young people the dangers of such relationships.

Holly was one year too young for her death to be classed as a domestic violence murder, which the defines as the 'death of a person aged 16 or over has, or appears to have, resulted from violence, abuse or neglect by a person to whom they were related or with whom they were, or had been, in an intimate personal relationship, or a member of the same household as themselves.'

Holly's bereaved family is also now calling for changes in the law in this regard, believing that had the schoolgirl been offered domestic abuse services, she could still be with us today. This change would be welcomed by experts in the field, including Dr Emma Cunningham, a criminologist at The University Of East London.

Dr Cunningham asserted: "This murder should be seen within the remit of Violence Against Women and Girls rather than as a knife crime incident given the coercive and controlling behaviour of her partner Logan, and the violent attack that he inflicted on her.

"His attempts to control where Holly was going and who she was mixing with illustrate clear red flags about his behaviour as does his threats to harm himself which can be seen to be used often in domestic violence and abuse cases. Women's Aid would explain such tactics often used by perpetrators of Domestic and Sexual violence."

Furthermore, as explained by Dr Cunningham, viewing Holly's case as a victim of knife crime as opposed to a violence against women and girls (VAWG) related crime and femicide, 'skews the figures around VAWG and underestimates the crimes within this field', which may already be severely underestimated.

According to Dr Cunningham, 2024 marked the first year the National Police Chief's Council (NPCC) analysed these figures, with a worrying trend noted in recent times. Dr Cunningham has noted that a 37 per cent increase in violent crimes against women and girls in England and Wales was reported between the years 2018 to 2023, as per harrowing

However, she believes the actual figure is likely far higher, given that victims often don't report such crimes to the police 'for a variety of reasons'. Pointing to another recent horrific crime, Dr Cunningham said: "The murder of Raneem Oudeh and mother Khaola Saleem by Raneem's ex-partner Janbaz Tarin in 2018 in Solihull and the terrible police failings has led to new legislation called Raneem's law where specialist domestic violence (DV) experts would be posted in police control rooms.

"Police responses to stalking have been exposed as leaving victims at risk, downplaying incidents and not understanding links between stalking and VAWG and like many crimes against women and girls these are often not taken as seriously as they should be."

Although domestic violence is often spoken about as an issue that affects adults, the statistics when it comes to teenagers make for chilling reading. Nikki Bradley MBE, Director of Services at Women's Aid, told the : "Domestic abuse is a prevailing issue in romantic relationships between young people. Data from the Office of National Statistics last year revealed that one in four girls will have experienced domestic abuse before they are 16 years old.

"Stalking is a crime that is often not taken seriously enough, and it can often be a forerunner to further domestic abuse. Police must recognise the stages in which domestic abuse escalates to prevent further harm. It's essential that we talk to our children about domestic abuse and controlling behaviour to ensure they are aware of the warning signs and can understand what is not acceptable in a relationship. However, we will continue to struggle to protect young people from abuse if we aren't taking their reports with the urgency they require.

"If you’re a young person and think you may have experienced abuse or your relationship might not be healthy, know that you are not alone. Women's Aid is here to take you seriously and to support you without judgment. is a website for 14 to 25-year-olds to learn about healthy relationships and explore support options."

Horrifyingly, there were signs that MacPhail's behaviours would escalate, and this is something that continues to haunt Micala. The night before the murder, MacPhail, who had learning difficulties and autism, turned up at Holly's family home in Haltwhistle, Northumberland - some 40 miles away from where he lived in Gateshead.

MacPhail tried to persuade Holly's sibling to let him in, but his attempts were ultimately rejected. Micala reflected: "I think if he somehow managed to get into the house it could have been a whole different story - we could have been looking at maybe more than one murder."

That evening, at 9.40 pm, Micala contacted the police and arranged for her and Holly to speak with officers about MacPhail the following day, after school. Heartbreakingly, Holly - being keen to spend time with her friends - persuaded her mum to push the appointment forward to later that evening. It would then be far too late. Recalling this conversation, Micala described her decision as 'the biggest mistake of my life'.

Jenni Jacobsen, PhD, a psychologist and licensed clinical social worker at told the Mirror: "In so many of these cases, early intervention that may take a simple form, such as a restraining order or social support for victim and offender alike, can be quite literally a matter of life and death.

"Schools, police, and mental health professionals need superior procedures for identifying and acting upon stalking as one of the important precursors to violent behaviour. If these red flags had been more appropriately addressed, this incident might not have occurred. Unfortunately, this is not an unfamiliar trend."

Ms Jacobsen continued: "We also need a cultural change that would teach young people from the start how to cope with rejection, certain emotional pain, and how to seek assistance before it reaches this level. Indeed, addressing mental health issues - like the reported learning difficulties and autism of MacPhail through therapy and support networks - could redirect these feelings into constructive outlets. Holly's story is a reminder that when someone says they feel threatened, we must respond urgently and compassionately."

Going forward, Dr Cunningham has remarked that 'we need to see action' when it comes to the new Labour government's plan to halve VAWG incidents in a decade, as well as their plan to improve police responses to affected women.

Noting that politicians Yvette Cooper and Jess Phillips 'appear committed to this issue', Dr Cunningham urged: "Police forces have to spell out by Nov 22 2024 their action plans on stalking, so let's follow these up. Resources are found for riots and terrorism, and VAWG requires the same increased attention and resources."

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com

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