Mum of murdered Northumberland teenager is delivering a domestic abuse education package to schools
Micala Trussler tells us about the importance of educating young people on recognising red flags in relationships.
Last updated 19th Dec 2024
The mum of murdered Northumberland teenager Holly Newton tells us about the importance of educating young people on recognising red flags in relationships.
15-year-old Holly Newton was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend in January last year, after he could not accept their relationship ended.
Micala Trussler, Holly's mum, says she is now delivering an education package called "red flags" in schools to provide children with all the information they need about relationships.
She said: "It's important for children to learn about domestic abuse. It's not just for adults, it's for children and young teens too. By us going into schools, our hope is that we could potentially save a child's life and help the child not become in a position that Holly found herself in.
“So many types of abuse, physical, emotional, psychological, financial, and obviously there's coercive control and even stalking. But a lot of children see domestic abuse and think it's when you're being physically abused. Although that is one of obviously the big signs of being abused, it's not just about physical abuse. There's lots of ways that you can be abused.
“We really want to make an impact on another child's life and potentially help save their life if they ever find themselves in this sort of position. Hopefully they'll be able to find the help and have the knowledge and resources to get themselves out of that situation before it's too late.
“If Holly had this sort of education in school, possibly she could have got herself out of that relationship earlier. But I honestly don't believe that Holly thought for one second, she was in an abusive relationship and us as parents also just didn't realise the severity of it before it was too late.
“We’re hoping to not just educate young teens and children, but also teachers, carers, parents, youth clubs, all sorts of different places like that in the hope that we can help somebody else.”