I couldn’t save my sister from being murdered. Now mum’s dead - I will fight to keep David Minto in prison

“I promised my mum that we will do it, but we didn’t”. Katie Brett and her mother have spent the last few years fighting to make the justice system fairer for grieving families of murder victims.

‘I’ll keep fighting until I’m dead’

On March 13, 2024, Katie said a final goodbye to her mum, Jayne Marsden. “She died thinking that nobody cared enough to sign her petition...but I’ll keep fighting for those signatures until I’m dead,” she added.

Watch the full six minute interview on Shots! TV now.

Sasha’s body had over 100 injuries

Katie’s 16-year-old sister, Sasha Marsden, suffered over 100 injuries when she was murdered at the Grafton House Hotel on January 31, 2013. Her killer, David Minto, then set her body alight in an attempt to hide the evidence.

‘Evil’ Minto could be free to kill again

Minto is currently serving a 35 year sentence, but the family believe this is too lenient. Despite a tireless campaign for the Government to remove the 28-day time limit to appeal a sentence, Jayne Marsden passed away thinking that the man who tortured her daughter may some day be free to kill again.

In an emotional video interview, Katie opens up about the ‘trauma’ the family went through as they sat through her sister’s murder trial. “As a family, you’re hearing the most horrific details for the first time and hearing Sasha’s murder and rape picked apart. That’s not just grief. It’s more than grief, it’s trauma. The last thing you want is to go through that all again.”

Horrific details at murder trial

The family believe the killer and rapist should have received a whole life order, and that the sentence, meaning he could be 57 when he gets out of prison, was ‘unduly lenient’. But they were only given 28 days to appeal, under a law which Katie says she will keep fighting for ‘until [she’s] dead’.

‘She was punching the air’

“Every day mum would wake up and the first thing she’d check is the petition”. Katie explains how the first petition had attracted thousands of signatures - but they only get six months to reach the 100,000 target before they have to start from scratch.

She added: “Every time it hit another thousand she was punching the air. I wish I’d have got her reaction [so] people could see how much it meant to her.”

Too late to appeal

Katie recalls how the family were told that 35 years was a good sentence at the time, and didn’t have the ‘fight’ left to question it. On reflection, they felt that it was too lenient - but it was too late to appeal.

“The judge stated that it was the sexually motivated murder of a child. There was sadistic behaviour. The prolonged suffering and attempts to destroy her body. The fact that he raped her. It was all proven, there was no doubt at all. So it does meet the criteria for a whole life order.”

Sign Katie’s petition

Katie is continuing to campaign for the Government to remove the 28-day time limit for applying to the lenient sentence scheme to have a sentence reviewed, for convictions of murder. Click here to sign her petition.