A FLINTSHIRE woman whose mother was killed by her father when she was a child is calling for action on a delay over the implementation of Jade's Law.
Gemma Ahern, who now lives in Drury, was just three years old and in the house when her father stabbed her 26-year-old mum, Carol Quinton, 36 times at their home in Manchester 34 years ago.
Her father was jailed four and a half years - but only served half. Upon his release, Gemma, now aged 36, returned to live him - having been living with her grandparents for a couple of years.
She lived and worked with her father for 16 years - before moving to Flintshire six years ago.
Jade's Law was campaigned for by the family of Jade Ward, who was 27 when she was brutally murdered by ex-partner, Russell Marsh, in Shotton in 2021.
Her parents called for the change after Marsh started asking for pictures and school reports from prison - and Jade's Law was passed in Parliament in 2024.
The law strips parental rights from one parent who kills the other. The rule applies to anyone convicted of the murder or voluntary manslaughter of someone they share parental responsibilities with, with an exemption in cases where domestic abuse victims kill their abusers.
However, the law has not yet been enacted by the Ministry of Justice.
"I was downstairs having my breakfast when it happened," Gemma said. "My dad came downstairs and grabbed a big pair of tailoring scissors from the draw. I followed him upstairs and saw him stab my mum 35 more times. That's the only memory I have of her."
"When I was given back to him as a child at that age, I didn't have the ability to process what had happened. I was never allowed to talk about my mum in the house, it was completely forbidden by my dad.
"I was brought up by him and his new wife - who was horrible to me. He had full control over, emotional, financial, everything."
Gemma, who has a 13-year-old child, said it wasn't until the last few years that she stepped away from her father.
"I left my dad's business only about two years ago," she said. "You're biologically linked to your parents, and it's natural to try and see the good in them. But the realisation hit about what he had done.
"He manipulated me, blaming my mum for what happened. He was able to control the narrative.
Gemma is going to Westminster next month with the Children Heard and Seen charity to push for Jade's Law to be enacted. She is also in the process of writing a book on her experiences.
"The whole system is all to cater for the well-being of the person who's committed the crime," Gemma said.
"Their children are left with nothing, no support. It's like there's no record of them. I really want to raise awareness of the plight of the children left behind.
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"When I moved here and heard about Jade's Law - it really hit home. It feels like fate moving here.
"It got me thinking - why are children being handed to men who kill their child's mother? It blows my mind, it's terrifying.
"After all these years - nothing has changed until Jade's Law. It needs to implemented for the sake of thousands of children."
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "We are committed to implementing Jade's Law as swiftly and safely as possible so that families are protected from further trauma, and work to commence the provisions is well underway."
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