Gemma Sisley: Brother mortified by 2008 killer's open jail move

The brother of a woman murdered in 2008 said he was "mortified" by her killer's move to an open jail.

Jason Burrows was jailed for a minimum of 15 years after strangling his ex-partner Gemma Sisley in Milton Keynes as she went to collect her belongings.

The Parole Board recommended Burrows was suitable for open conditions having heard of his progress in custody.

Ms Sisley's brother Tom, of Stony Stratford, said the original sentence was not "justice".

He has started a petition calling for tougher sentences, which comes as an independent review of the law around domestic killings commences.

That followed an initial review by the Ministry of Justice in response to concerns raised about the minimum term for murders committed with a weapon.

Mr Sisley said had Burrows used a weapon in the killing he would have received a longer sentence, but added: "I don't agree with a 15-year life sentence for somebody who is, in my mind, scarier than somebody who can just point a gun at somebody.

"It takes a lot more calculation to squeeze the life out of somebody."

Burrows' trial heard that in October 2008 he put toilet paper down 22-year-old Ms Sisley's throat to gag her and to stop others hearing her screams after she ended their relationship.

Her neck was compressed and her body was wedged between the mattress and wooden side of his bed.

Mr Sisley said his sister "would light up any room that she would walk into" and that since the murder "adjusting to life has been hard".

"I've got kids she's never going to meet," he said.

"My mum and dad are not going to see my sister becoming a niece, a mum, a bride. Everything she should have had, we've been robbed of as much as she has."

Mr Sisley said their brother Chris needed a bone marrow transplant after he was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia, and died in 2019.

"I wasn't a match, unfortunately, but we'll never know if Gemma could have been," he said.

Mr Sisley was notified of Burrows' move to an open prison two weeks ago, and said: "I'm mortified he's going to be allowed back out into the public."

The Parole Board recommended that he was suitable for open prison following a hearing in June, which was told Burrows had "undertaken accredited programmes to address offending behaviour".

It also heard he completed training courses addressing better management of relationships and emotions.

A Parole Board statement said: "We will only make a recommendation for open conditions if a Parole Board panel is satisfied that the risk to the public has reduced sufficiently to be manageable in an open prison.

"A move to open conditions involves testing the prisoner's readiness for future release.

"Prisoners moved to open conditions can be returned to closed conditions if there is concern about their behaviour."

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "This was a horrific crime and our thoughts remain with Miss Sisley's family.

"While sentencing is a matter for independent judges, we are committed to preventing more cases like this.

"We recently launched an independent review of domestic homicide sentencing to ensure the public is protected and that sentences reflect the severity of these heinous crimes."

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]