Bereaved families need more help, says brother of murdered Julia Pemberton

Frank Mullane was speaking at the annual conference of Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse (AAFDA), which he set up after his sister and nephew were killed.
Mrs Pemberton and her 17-year-old son Will were shot dead by her estranged husband, Alan Pemberton, at their home in Slanting Hill in November 2003. Mr Pemberton, a 48-year-old businessman, then turned the gun on himself. Their daughter Laura, then aged 19, was away studying at Cambridge University and survived.
At the conference, he said that with more financial support from the Government, his charity could do more to help victims’ families find out the truth as to what happened.
The minister for victims, Helen Grant, heard Mr Mullane describe the gap between the multiple needs of families after domestic homicide and the services available to them. He said that his family spent at least £10,000 on travel costs to investigate his sister's death and in lobbying for changes to domestic violence legislation.
Ms Grant said that the Government was giving nearly £40m to organisations that help victims, families.
She said: “Domestic abuse has damaged our society, and victims within it, for too long. It must stop.
“It does not just scar individuals; it damages families and communities.
“No person should die at the hands of an abuser in their own home. Only by eradicating domestic abuse can we ensure that more men and women do not tragically lose their lives.
“That’s why, for the first time, the Government has put in place nearly £40m for organisations that do so much to help.
“More abusers and murderers should, and will, be brought to justice.”