A Legacy for Josh: Why I Am Still Fighting for True Justice
Today, I find myself looking back at an 11-year journey that no mother should ever have to walk. It has been a path paved with immense pain, but also one of fierce determination. Since Josh was taken from us, my life’s mission has been to ensure that the “pain of grief” is never made more insufferable by a criminal justice system that leaves families lost in the justice process.
I founded The Josh Hanson Trust to help others. I wanted to turn our tragedy into a permanent pillar of protection for every victim and bereaved family who follows in our footsteps. Today, I can share that we have moved a mountain.
A Victory Built on Your Support
Following my meeting with ministers on 7th April 2026, the Government has officially tabled two amendments to the Victims and Courts Bill. This is a historic moment. We have won:
- The six-month window: We have finally broken the 28-day “absolute” deadline. Justice should never be a matter of “office hours,” and victims and bereaved families now have the time they need to breathe and act.
- The duty to notify: A recognition that no one should be “left in the dark” regarding their right to appeal.
These wins not only belong to me they also belong to you, the public. You have been instrumental in our growth, standing with us through four years of fighting for Josh’s killer to face court and seven years of advocacy for these reforms.
While I am proud, that pride is rooted in the memory of the 28th day after Josh’s trial, when my own application was denied simply because it arrived outside of office hours. I promised then that I would change the law, so no other victim or bereaved family would feel that abandonment. This is an historic event, but we are not at the finish line yet.
This is because of:
- The Parity Gap: A six-month window to appeal against Unduly Lenient Sentences is a massive step forward, but it is not the time parity I have campaigned for. Our campaign remains steadfast: victims and bereaved families deserve the exact same timeframe to appeal a sentence in exceptional circumstances as is afforded to an offender. Anything less suggests that an offender’s rights carry more weight than a family’s grief. I look forward to meeting to discuss the Law Commission review on Criminal Appeals later this year to close this gap.
- The Notification Gap: CPS Accountability. Through our work delivering End-to-end Victim Care training to the Metropolitan Police, we have seen where the system fails. The CPS Bereavement Service – an initiative born from our Trust’s advocacy – already has the infrastructure to handle inform victims and their families of the right to appeal against Unduly Lenient Sentences. The CPS’s own guidance sets out their role in communicating with families. There is no justifiable reason why the CPS should not hold the statutory ‘duty to notify.’ Those who prosecute the case must be the ones to empower victims and bereaved families with the knowledge of their rights. This duty should not be left to the Police or Witness Care Units where we know administrative errors occur with no recourse or accountability.
Correcting the Record: It IS Josh’s Law
The Government has declined to officially name these measures Josh’s Law, citing a “wider shift” away from person-centred legislation. We respectfully submit that this is factually incorrect. In the last two years alone, we have seen Awaab’s Law, Jade’s Law, Ella’s Law, Martyn’s Law, and just last month Benedict’s Law. To deny Josh’s name now – after seven years of evidence-based research, my MA in Criminology, and two years of partnership with 40 law students and five supervisors from The Open University, Lancashire and Lancaster Universities – is an inconsistency that fails to honour a decade of struggle. This was not a collective effort by “multiple campaigners”; it was a battle led by this Trust, for Josh, and for you.
Please Help Me Protect His Legacy: Act Today
The stakeholders who worked alongside us – from the Victims’ Commissioner to the MPs who spoke my name in Parliament – already recognise the changes because of my relentless and well-researched campaign for justice.
I am asking you, the public, to help us ensure the Government does the same. This isn’t just about my son’s name; it’s also about a mandate to ensure no one is “left in the dark” and will continue to hear of their rights through our various channels.
How you can help:
- Download the template letter from our website.
- Find your local MP here.
- Send the letter and ask them to support the official recognition of Josh’s Law.
Thank you for helping me keep my promise to Josh and all victims who have been denied justice.
Tracey Hanson MA, FRSA
Founder and CEO, The Josh Hanson Trust
