December 23rd 2024.
It’s been almost three decades since that fateful Christmas Day when I received the devastating news that my daughter Joanne had been murdered. As I sat watching my three grandchildren excitedly open their presents from Santa, I couldn’t help but smile at their innocent joy. It was a stark contrast to the pain and heartache that had consumed my life ever since that call from my son, Michael.
The phone call had come just before 11am on Christmas Day in 1997, while I was at Michael’s house. His face immediately dropped and drained of color as he answered the call. Then he turned to me and said, “It’s Dad,” before handing me the phone. I will never forget the words that came next, “The police think Joanne’s been murdered.” In an instant, my world fell apart. My daughter, Joanne, was only 29 years old.
I couldn’t control my emotions and started screaming. My poor grandchildren, all under the age of 10, didn’t understand what was happening and were quickly ushered away. That was the day that changed my life forever. And now, almost three decades later, the murderer who took my little girl away from me will soon be released. But I am doing everything in my power to make sure that never happens.
Joanne was a happy, caring, and optimistic person. She always saw the good in people and loved to chat on the phone, even though she lived just 15 minutes away from me in Throckley, near Newcastle. On Christmas Eve in 1997, she had spent the morning at her flat with her cat before her father was due to pick her up and take her to his home. She had plans to go out with her friends at a pub that evening.
Even though my husband, Wayne, and I had called her to spend Christmas Day with us, she was determined to spend it with her dad and friends. Little did I know that when I hung up the phone, it would be the last time I ever spoke to her. The events that followed were later revealed to me by the police.
Joanne had never met 23-year-old Steven Ling until that fateful evening at a pub in Stamfordham. He was intoxicated and tagged along with Joanne and her friends as they walked home. Joanne made it back to her dad’s flat alone and was getting ready for bed when Steven Ling somehow convinced her to go to his house for a party. But when she arrived, there was no one else there.
He started kissing her, and when she tried to get away, he punched her. He then proceeded to rape her and, either during or after, he stabbed her with a kitchen knife. When the knife broke, he obtained another one and continued the attack. A pathologist later revealed that Joanne had sustained a total of 60 injuries, including 31 knife wounds.
On November 25, 2024, Metro launched the This Is Not Right campaign, dedicated to addressing the relentless epidemic of violence against women. As part of the campaign, stories were shared to shed light on the scale of this issue and empower readers to take action. I have been following this campaign closely and sharing my own story in hopes of making a difference.
After Steven Ling was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, he confessed to killing Joanne. My son received the call on Christmas Day, and we were asked to go to Hexham to identify her body. It was a horrific experience, seeing her lifeless body swaddled and only being able to see her face with her eyes wide open. The rest of the day was a blur, and it was the worst thing that could have ever happened.
In February, the police revealed the full details of what happened to Joanne, including the fact that she had cuts on her hands from trying to defend herself, her pubic hair was shaved, and a cigarette was found inside her. A psychiatric report concluded that it was a “picqueristic style” attack, indicating a sexual interest in penetrating the skin of another person with sharp objects. The details were unimaginable, and I couldn’t believe someone could do that to my little girl.
I have been outspoken in the media and have closely followed the case ever since Joanne’s death. I wanted to be kept up to date and was heavily involved in helping the police put the case against Steven Ling together. I was present in the courtroom throughout his trial, where he pleaded guilty to murder. However, the rape charge was left to lie on file. He received a mandatory life sentence, with the judge stating that he would never be released if he posed a danger to women. While I am relieved to have some justice for my daughter, the unresolved rape charge still haunts me.
It has been a long and painful journey, and the grief has never gone away. But I will continue to speak out and share Joanne’s story in hopes of raising awareness and preventing similar tragedies from happening to other women. No one should ever have to experience what Joanne went through, and I will do everything in my power to make sure justice is served.
It’s been almost three decades since that fateful Christmas Day when my daughter Joanne was brutally murdered. As I watched my three grandchildren excitedly open their presents from Santa, I couldn't help but smile. It was a happy moment, but also one that brought back painful memories.
I was at my son Michael's house, waiting for the rest of our family to arrive for Christmas dinner, when the phone rang. Michael's face turned pale as he answered the call and then handed the phone to me. The words that came through the receiver were ones that I will never forget: "The police think Joanne's been murdered."
Joanne was only 29 years old, full of life and always eager to chat on the phone, even though she lived just 15 minutes away from me. She had spent the first half of Christmas Eve at her flat with her beloved cat, before her father was due to pick her up and take her to his home for dinner. My husband, Wayne, and I had even tried to convince her to spend Christmas Day with us, but she was determined to celebrate with her dad and friends.
Little did I know that would be the last time I ever spoke to her. That evening, a man named Steven Ling, who Joanne had just met at a pub, joined her and her friends for a walk home. He was intoxicated and when they reached Joanne's dad's flat, he managed to convince her to go to his house for a party. But instead, he brutally attacked and murdered her.
When Michael received that call on Christmas Day, our world fell apart. We were asked to identify Joanne's body, which was swaddled due to the extent of her injuries. I will never forget the sight of her bloodied face with her eyes wide open. It was the worst thing that could have ever happened.
It wasn't until February that we learned the full details of what happened to Joanne. The extent of her injuries was horrifying – she had tried to defend herself, her pubic hair was shaved, and a cigarette was shoved inside of her. It was later determined to be a "picqueristic style" attack, indicating a sexual interest in penetrating the skin of another person with sharp objects.
I have been outspoken in the media and closely followed the case ever since Joanne's death. I wanted to stay informed and be involved in helping the police put the case together. I attended every day of Steven Ling's trial, where he eventually pleaded guilty to murder. However, the rape charge was left to lie on file. He received a life sentence with the judge stating that he would never be released if he was deemed a danger to women.
Although I felt some sense of justice for my daughter, the rape charge being left on file did not sit right with me. It's been almost three decades, and now the murderer who killed my little girl will be released soon. That's why I am doing everything in my power to prevent that from happening.
As the years have passed, I have learned to cope with the pain and grief, but it never goes away. Every Christmas, I am reminded of the horrific tragedy that took my daughter's life. That's why I am speaking out now as part of the Metro's campaign, This Is Not Right, to raise awareness about the epidemic of violence against women. I hope that by sharing my daughter's story, we can bring attention to this issue and empower others to take action.
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