Victims’ Commissioner Baroness Helen Newlove Dies at 63
Baroness Helen Newlove, the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, has died following a short illness, her office announced today. She was 63 years old. Newlove dedicated her career to advocating for victims’ rights, a commitment stemming from personal tragedy and evolving into significant reform within the criminal justice system.
Appointed to the role twice – from 2012 to 2019 and again in 2023 – Newlove was due to serve until the end of this year. Her work “transformed” the role of commissioner, according to her office, reshaping it into a “trusted voice and genuine force for victims.”
Newlove’s advocacy was deeply rooted in her own experience. In August 2007, her husband, Garry Newlove, 47, was killed in Warrington, Cheshire, after confronting a group of youths who had vandalized their car. The court heard Garry was attacked and “kicked like a football” in front of his daughters. Three teenagers were later convicted of his murder in January 2008.
Following Garry’s death, Baroness Newlove became a prominent campaigner and activist, made a life peer in 2010 for her work on youth crime. Throughout her tenure as commissioner, she championed the rights of victims and witnesses, holding agencies accountable and shaping the Victims’ Code.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy praised her “unparalleled experience and dedication,” noting her impact on the Victims and Prisoners Act, ensuring victims’ interests remained central. “She championed the rights of victims and witnesses and held agencies to account,” Lammy said.
Tributes poured in from across the House of Lords, with Baroness Barker of the liberal Democrats commending Newlove’s dedication to defending victims nonetheless of the government in power. Conservative peer Lord Kamall remembered her as a “fierce campaigner,” while Baroness O’Loan, the former police ombudsman for Northern Ireland, described her as “so brave and effective.”
Her office stated she was “steadfast that all victims should be treated with compassion,decency and respect – and she consistently led by example.”
