Christmas was Caroline Gore's favourite time of year.
"You could always count on her to have the decorations up and presents wrapped by the start of October," her daughter Megan says.
But last year, she didn't get to put her new baubles up on the Christmas tree. The day after she bought them, Caroline, a 'kind' and 'caring' cleaner from Wigan, was killed by her violent and abusive ex-partner in her flat at Douglas House on the Scholes estate.
READ MORE: He was allowed to walk free... weeks later she was dead
David Liptrot brutally stabbed the 44-year-old mother and grandmother-of-two after 'lying in wait' until she returned home on the night of October 29. Liptrot left Caroline slumped down on the bathroom floor, took her phone and locked the door behind him.
That phone, which was never returned to her family, held the only photos of Megan and her mum together. They are lost forever.
Less than four weeks before Liptrot, 55, murdered Caroline, he was up in court again for breaching a restraining order which prohibited him from contacting her. He ignored this order repeatedly, writing to her from prison and visiting her upon release.
But rather than being sent to prison for breaching the order again, he was released days later after receiving a suspended sentence. Caroline's family believe the justice system failed her, telling the Manchester Evening News 'she'd still be here if they kept him in'.
They have called for a change in the law. Last week, the M.E.N. launched a campaign calling for the government to introduce a mandatory minimum prison term for breaches of protective orders, like the one Liptrot ignored and was allowed to get away with.
More than 1,000 people have already signed our petition which was launched on Sunday (November 3). Our campaign has also been backed by domestic abuse charities, Wigan council and several MPs - and now, Caroline's family have spoken out in support of it too.
"Restraining orders aren’t worth the paper they’re written on and are not taken seriously enough," Caroline's only daughter Megan said, speaking to the M.E.N. this week. "This needs to change. How many other people need to die before someone does something?"
'She always saw the good in people'
Although Megan, 27, grew up living with her grandmother, she was 'really close' to Caroline, who lived nearby. In court, Caroline was described as 'vulnerable', having suffered with mental health issues - but Megan doesn't want her to be remembered that way.
"My mum had the biggest heart," she said when asked what Caroline was like. "She was always the type to prioritise others over herself showing kindness and care in everything she did. She would give everything she had to bring happiness to those around her.
"She had a unique way of making even the simplest of moments feel special and had a wide circle of friends who adored her just as much as we did. Being around her was uplifting; you could never feel down in her presence.
"She knew how to make you laugh even on the darker days. She brought joy and laughter wherever she went, complemented by her radiant smile that could light up any room and the most contagious laugh.
"My mum always made an effort to see the good in people, even in those who clearly have no kindness in their hearts."
Megan never met the man who murdered her mother. She later found out that friends had tried to convince Caroline to leave him.
But despite receiving a two-year restraining order prohibiting him from contacting her when he was convicted for beating her up in 2022, he kept trying to rekindle the relationship. The last time she tried to get away from him, at a pub in Atherton, would be her last day.
On October 29, Liptrot joined Caroline at the Wheatsheaf pub at 3.50pm for some drinks, but she soon became upset and started crying. At around 5pm there was some ‘acrimony’ between them, with Caroline appearing upset and trying to get away from him.
During the murder trial, the court heard Liptrot became 'agitated' and 'banged forcefully' on the women's toilet door as he tried to find her. While Caroline made her way to the Dog and Partridge pub in Wigan, Liptrot went to her flat at Douglas House at around 8pm.
He remained 'lying in wait' until Caroline returned at 11.06pm. Seventeen minutes later, he left the property having fatally stabbed her.
When Megan first went back to her mum's flat some weeks later, there was still blood on the floor. "It just knocked me back," she said.
Megan says that, before her untimely death, her mum was 'on a journey to become a better version of herself'. "She was excited to start university soon and had enrolled in a nursing course," Megan revealed, "driven by her desire to make a difference in the world."
"I want my mum to be remembered for the kind and gentle person she was, not the way she was taken by what I can only call a monster," she added. "She was hardworking and wanting to make a positive difference to the world. She was a safe place for many people, she would do anything for anyone and if she loved with everything she had."
'The law failed her, it didn't keep her safe'
Megan was in court for every day of the murder trial. She returned in August when Liptrot was sentenced to 20 years behind bars.
That may sounds like a long time, but for Megan, it isn't enough. "Her life mattered and it mattered to so many people," she said.
Speaking to the M.E.N. after the sentencing, Caroline's sister Jo said that she believes the justice system failed her. Megan agrees.
"The law failed her, it didn’t keep her safe," she said. "David was already in jail and yet again broke the restraining order."
"As adults we know right from wrong just as he knew it was wrong to be contacting her whilst under a restraining order. He didn’t care about the law or the order, but the judge saw fit for him to walk the streets.
"Restraining orders aren’t worth the paper they’re written on and are not taken seriously enough. This needs to change.
"How many other people need to die before someone does something?"
Support our campaign here
Wigan council confirmed this week that a Domestic Abuse Related Death review into the Caroline's case is now underway. Previously known as a Domestic Homicide Review, the investigations are usually undertaken by a team of local statutory and voluntary bodies.
The multi-agency review, which family members and friends can take part in, seeks to identify and implement lessons learnt from deaths which have, or appear to have, resulted from domestic abuse. Their aim is to better protect victims in future and prevent further tragedies - by highlighting to the police and other agencies what can be done in future to strengthen the response.
The local authority has backed the M.E.N. campaign calling for minimum jail terms for breaches of protective orders. Several Greater Manchester MPs have also supported the campaign, alongside charities that work with victims and survivors of domestic abuse.
Responding to our campaign, a government spokesperson said: "What happened to Caroline is just horrific.
"This government has a mission to halve violence against women and girls in 10 years. We are going further to protect victims of domestic abuse, which is why we are launching a pilot for new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders later this month in police forces and courts including in Greater Manchester.
"These new, strengthened orders will not have a minimum or maximum duration, allowing victims to obtain the protection they require for as long as needed, and will give the police and courts the powers to impose tougher restrictions on perpetrators."
