Remembering the women killed over the last 12 months

Since Metro launched our This Is Not Right campaign last November, over 100 women have allegedly been killed by men in the UK – that’s around one every three days. 

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has continued to call this epidemic of violence against women and girls a ‘national emergency’ – and there is no doubt that it is, but behind the horrifying statistics are real women: daughters, mums, sisters, aunties, friends and much-loved colleagues.

People whose lives have been brutally impacted or snatched away through unimaginable violence.

These women should never just be considered yet another number in a horrifying body count. Each had a name and a life, before it was brutally stolen from them – more often than not, by someone they once trusted and loved. 

Here, on the last day of 16 Days of Activism, which began on November 25, 2025 to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Metro pays tribute to just some of the women whose lives were needlessly cut short by violence since November 25, 2024. 

Elizabeth Tamilore Odunsi

With a beaming smile and a pair of sunglasses perched on her head, Elizabeth – or Tami as she was often known – looked the picture of happiness, as she posed alongside two vibrant-colored parrots on Soana Island in the Dominican Republic. It was a snapshot that perfectly captured the 23-year-old’s vivacity and thirst for adventure.

It was a few years earlier, when Elizabeth was just 17 years old, that the student began her adventure by moving to America from London to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. Studying at Texas Woman’s University, she was said to have a ‘special love for children and always dreamed of making a difference in young lives through her future work in healthcare’.

When Elizabeth wasn’t studying and working, she was a keen content creator,posting about her travels, friends and work, saying how lucky she was to study at her dream hospital. The young student was just days away from graduating and taking the next step of her dream career, when her life was taken on 26 April 2025.

A 40-year-old man has been charged with Elizabeth’s murder.

Karen Cummings

It’s the ‘wee things’ Karen’s family said that they really missed about the much-loved mum and children’s nurse. ‘Her daughter just went back to school. She just got her GCSE results. It was her birthday…’ explained Karen’s cousin Kelly Malcolmson, who described the 40-year-old ‘more like a sister’ to her.

‘It’s those moments you really notice her absence,’ she added.

Known as thetype of person who ‘would lift you up on your bad days’, Karen’s ‘true vocation’ was as a nurse, looking after everyone around her. One colleague described her as a ‘nurse mummy’ to the children she cared for in Daisy Hill Hospital in Banbridge, Co Down.

When she had what tragically ended up being her last birthday at the hospital, colleagues surprised Karen with cakes and balloons and filmed her as she shyly watched on while they enthusiastically sang ‘happy birthday’ to their much-loved co-worker.

It was just weeks later that her life would be snatched away in December 2024. Hundreds of mourners attended the devoted mum’s funeral, where a photograph of Karen with her ‘precious son and daughter’ Curtis and Zara was placed near her wooden coffin, alongside a nursing uniform, a Harry Potter mug and the lead of her ‘much-loved’ family dog.

Two men have appeared in court charged with Karen’s manslaughter.

Kristine Sparane

Kristine and her five-year-old daughter were often spotted at their local shops in Spalding, treating themselves to a donut or some sweets.

A beloved member of her local community, when neighbors heard of the loving mum’s death in November 2024, they rallied to raise funds for the family.

A GoFundMe in 37-year-old Kristine’s memory, which was set up by one of the shopworkers who would see the mum and her daughter every day, said that Kristine would always ‘be in their hearts’ and any money donated would go towards her little girl and ‘all the necessities she needs.’ A friend also wrote that her senseless death was ‘hard for us to all comprehend.’

A 64-year-old man was found responsible for Kristine’s death.

Marianne Kilonzi

Marianne was ‘the life of the party’,known for her love of good food and red wine. The Rotary Club of Lavington Jioni in Nairobi, where 43-year-old Marianne was treasurer for two years before coming to live in the UK, said she had a kind spirit and offered unwavering commitment, while one friend recalled how she was a woman with a ‘brilliant mind’ and her ‘integrity unmatched’. 

Marianne was VP of Trade and Working Capital Sales at Citibank, where she had worked for 18 years but had recently relocated to the UK after a promotion. She was also known as someone who lived life to the full, until it was cruelly snatched away on 17 January, when she was fatally attacked at her flat in Woolwich.

Police are believed to have an unnamed suspect in mind.

Corinna Baker

‘Beautiful, kind, funny, stubborn…’ That’s how Corinna’s sister described 21-year-old Caitlyn in a tribute on social media. One of nine siblings, she was as a ‘sweet girl’ and a ‘beautiful soul’ who cared deeply for her family.

Just starting out in adult life before she became known as ‘Forever 21’, Corinna – who lived in the close-knit community of Cardigan, where her family ran a pub – had aspirations to one day become a child support worker. It was a role her friends believed she would have ‘thrived in’, with one recalling how Corinna was ‘truly selfless and always helped out anyone she could.’

After Corinna was found dead on November 15 this year, a 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and has since been released on bail as enquiries continue.

Dianne Cleary 

On 25 January this year the night sky above Lea Manor Fields in Bedfordshire was lit up by lanterns and fireworks in memory of  ‘fierce protector and warrior’ Dianne Cleary. 

Mum to Callum and Caitlin, she was described as a ‘beautiful friend’ by Aimi Rix, who recalled how the grandmother ‘could change the vibe in a room with her glowing smile and infectious laugh,’ adding that the Dianne, 46, was ‘so much fun to be around, could start a party in broom cupboard. Her courage knew no bounds.’

In an emotional post, her daughter in law Tysie Gallagher wrote on Facebook that Dianne was a beautiful soul, adding the grandmother was the  ‘most kind-hearted, caring, beautiful woman’.

Dianne, who lived in Luton, was taken to hospital following a frenzied attack at a local house on 20 January, where her daughter was also hurt. Sadly, Dianne died from her injuries.

In the wake of her mother’s death, Caitlin left a bouquet of flowers at a police cordon, which carried the note: “Mum, I love you so much. I miss you. “What can I say but you gave your life for me, I’m so sorry. My world.”

A-25-year-old man was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years for Dianne’s murder.

Catherine Blackhurst 

Teenager Catherine was just days away from celebrating her 18th birthday when her life was cruelly snatched away on September 21 this year.  A ‘bright, beautiful young woman with an infectious enthusiasm for life’, her family said that the communications apprentice left a lasting impression and anyone she met ‘instantly fell in love with her larger than life personality. 

Her drive to make the most out of life meant that Catherine threw herself into every challenge that came her way, as well as taking on a whole host of hobbies, from gymnastics to chess tournaments. The teen’s dedication to her family meant that her siblings would have memories that ‘will be cherished forever’.

A 55-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and has since been released on bail.

Claire Chick

Kind, warm, sassy and clever, are just some of the words that have been used to describe Claire. It’s also been said that she loved to dance and sing –  and even though she wasn’t the best, she had no shame in doing it in front of any audience.

A lecturer at the University of Plymouth, she had previously worked as a cardiac nurse at the University of Leicester and had dedicated her life to nursing, according to those who knew and loved her. One friend, Joanne Taylor said that 48-year-old Claire spent her life giving to other people and that she ‘dedicated her life to being the best nurse I have ever known. She became a lecturer to train the nurses of our future, due to her passion there will be amazing nurses out there looking after yourself and your loved ones.’

Claire was a mum to two daughters and a grandmother of five and was the glue and ‘go to’ of the family.

When she died from multiple stab wounds on January 22, her daughter Bethany Jayne posted: ‘I don’t quite know how to live without our mum’. Her family released a statement saying: ‘She was the most beautiful lively soul and was there for everyone. Everyone who knew our mum had so much positive words to say about her. She was the life and soul of any place where she was.’

Two weeks after Claire’s death, hundreds gathered at Plymouth Hoe and the former town lighthouse was lit up in her favourite color green.

A 54-year-old man was jailed for life for Claire’s murder.

Dawn Searle

In her own words,  Dawn was a ‘proud mama’. Her social media is packed with posts encouraging friends to download her son Calum’s new song or give her daughter Amanda’s ‘first little barbers shop’ in Edinburgh a try. 

When she married Andrew Searle at a ceremony in France in 2023, actor Calum gave his mum away and later posted: “Not many people can say they walked their own mother down the aisle. What a pleasure. I love you mum.”.

Dawn, 56, grew up in Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders and had lived near Edinburgh with Andrew, before they moved to Les Pesquiès in France a decade ago. It was a place where she was said to become ‘very integrated’ within the local village, often enjoying time with her neighbors.

The couple were found dead at their rural home on February 6. Dawn had suffered “multiple blows to the head with a blunt and sharp-edged object”, while her husband had died from hanging. 

Their deaths are being treated as a suspected murder-suicide.

Annabel Rook

Human rights lawyer Annabel was known as ‘a beacon of light’ and someone whose ‘ energy and her kindness made her unforgettable’.

For 20 years the mum-of-two worked hard to help vulnerable people. Described as a ‘force for good’, the charity worker for female migrants and children refugees, also co-founded creative community group MamaSuze, which provided weekly arts-based workshops  ‘to enhance the survivors of forced displacement and gender based violence’.

Working with marginalised and displaced people for over 20 years, Annabel told others that she believed that the ability to ‘play and create’ should be a ‘fundamental human right’, while others said she treated everyone she met with ‘warmth and kindness’.

After Anabelle was found fatally stabbed in June this year, the team at MamaSuze – whcih was named after Anabelle’s mum and the charity’s honourary grandma of the group, Susie – wrote that she did more for people in her 46 years than many do in a lifetime. They added: ‘Everyone involved with MamaSuze owes her so much and will never stop working towards a world where women are safe and thriving.’

A 44-year-old man has been charged with Annabelle’s murder.