Family of woman murdered by abusive ex-partner demand 'action' amid belief death 'should never have happened'

The family of a mother who was murdered by her abusive ex-partner are demanding "action, answers and accountability" amid their belief her death "should never have happened".

Warning: This article contains details readers may find upsetting.

Lee Inglis, 39, admitted repeatedly striking Stacey Hogg with a kitchen knife.

And he later told officers he "intended to cut off her head" after learning she was in a new relationship.

The killer stated that the mother-of-three was his "possession" and if he "could not have her, no one could".

Ms Hogg, 35, was fatally attacked at her home in Hawick in the Scottish Borders on 25 June this year.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the couple had separated in November 2024 after Inglis assaulted Ms Hogg with a knife the previous month, for which he was later convicted and handed a community payback order and restriction of liberty order, which was still in place at the time of the murder.

The court heard Inglis also had two convictions from December 2021 which related to Ms Hogg, as well as other convictions for assaults.

Speaking ahead of his sentencing on 5 November, Ms Hogg's brother Arran posted a family statement on Facebook saying they "cannot sit back and watch other families go through what we are going through".

Mr Hogg wrote: "Stacey should still be here. Her kids should still have their mum. Our mum and dad should still have their daughter, and we should still have our sister.

"Instead, our family has been left trying to get our heads around something that should never have happened.

"We have to live with this loss for the rest of our lives, and nothing is ever going to change that.

"What makes it even harder to accept is what we know about Stacey's case.

"Her former partner had previously abused her, including a knife attack, and had been subject to a restriction of liberty order when he took her life. Why let out someone so dangerous?

"So we have to ask the question: how did it get to this point?

"We know nothing will bring Stacey back, but we deserve answers about what happened and whether more could have been done to protect her."

There have been a number of other recent high-profile cases where women have been murdered by their abusive ex-partners or partners, including Samantha Lee and Stacy Hunter.

Mr Hogg wrote: "Honestly, we are sick of hearing the same things every time another woman dies.

"There are statements, promises and people saying things need to change, but we want to know what is actually being done to stop this happening again."

The family called for action, stating: "We need victims to be properly protected. We need warning signs to be taken seriously.

"We need agencies to communicate with each other, and we need accountability when things go wrong.

"If there are lessons to be learned from Stacey's case, then learn them. If the system needs to change, change it.

"We cannot keep having the same conversations while more families are left devastated."

First Minister John Swinney recently pledged to tackle the serious issue - which includes plans to bring forward a misogyny bill and launch a public health campaign to challenge misogynistic attitudes in boys and young men.

Police Scotland's latest That Guy campaign also urges men to be positive role models to combat the dangers of social media "manosphere" influencers.

The new advert is part of efforts to tackle what the force has described as a "national emergency" amid a daily average of 200 reports of violence against women and girls across Scotland.

Mr Hogg said: "We are not asking for sympathy. We are asking for action, answers and accountability.

"How many more women have to lose their lives? How many more families have to be destroyed before enough really is enough?

"Stacey was our sister, our daughter and a mum. She was funny, loud, caring and full of life.

"She deserved to be here, and her children deserved to have her here.

"We cannot change what happened to Stacey, but we can speak up and demand that something changes for other women and families."

Decisions on sentencing are a matter for the independent courts.

Victims minister Kirsten Oswald said: "Our thoughts continue to be with the family and friends of Stacey Hogg for their terrible loss; her death is a tragedy.

"We are resolute in our determination to do all we can to tackle violence against women and girls by preventing it from happening in the first place, supporting victims, and ensuring that violent men change their behaviour and are held accountable for their actions."

(c) Sky News 2026: Family of woman murdered by abusive ex-partner demand 'action' amid belief death 'sh