Sister of murdered Newmarket woman wants abuse law change

The sister of a woman who was murdered by her boyfriend, who already had murder and assault convictions, has called for urgent legal reform on how abusive history is disclosed. Alana Odysseos, 32, from Newmarket in Suffolk, was in early pregnancy when she died outside her flat in Walthamstow, east London, after being stabbed 19 times on 22 July 2024. Last month, her killer was given a rare whole life prison order after a Court of Appeal decided his initial jail sentence was too lenient. Jasmine Yates has collected 37,000 signatures for her online petition calling for "Alana's Law", in an attempt to offer people greater protection from domestic abusers. Yates, 28, described her sister as her "biggest supporter" when she herself was in a difficult relationship, encouraging her to leave and offering her a place to stay in London. "When I lost her, a lightbulb came on in my head," Yates said. "Remembering everything Alana said to me I feel is what gave me strength. That's another factor of why I want to do this with Alana's Law." Currently under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, also known as Clare's Law, there is a "right to ask", where a person, their friend or relative can re