We will fight so women feel safe... we can't let Gracie's death be in vain

MEMORIES of the daughter they adored are dotted around the house, from horseshoes spelling out her name on the garden wall to her beloved mermaid ornaments on the fairylight tree in the lounge.

- CATHERINE JONES

Then there are the photos: Gracie Spinks as a baby, as a schoolgirl, riding her horse Paddy, and as a beautiful young woman in a shimmering dress on a cruise trip.

"She did loads of karaoke on that holiday. Songs from Les Miserables or the Lion King," says her mum, Alison Ward, 53. "She loved singing and dancing."

Gracie's life was cut horribly short aged 23, when she was murdered by a stalker, her ex-colleague Michael Sellers.

She had already reported Sellers, 35, to police for following her, but he was simply given "words of advice".

And on June 18, 2021, as she tended to her horse before work, he repeatedly stabbed her.

Now, as Office for National Statistics figures show 1.5 million people in England and Wales were stalked last year, her parents are campaigning for drastic improvements in policing.

Alison says: "We can't let Gracie's death be in vain."

An inquest into Gracie's death heard that a rucksack belonging to Sellers containing an axe, hunting knives, Viagra, and a note that read "Don't lie" had been found nearby by a dog walker six weeks earlier - but the PC tasked with investigating had "no blazing concerns".

If police had probed, they would have found harassment complaints lodged by eight further women Sellers worked with, the hearing was told.

After an inquest jury ruled that Gracie was unlawfully killed, Det Supt Darren Death, of Derbyshire Police, apologised to her family. He said: "Put simply, as a force we failed Gracie - and for that I can only offer my own, and the force's, most sincere apologies."