'Pain of Courtney's murder will last until we die'

"Everything feels so heavy and dark, and I feel destroyed - grief feels incredibly lonely," Samantha Mitchell said at a vigil for her late daughter, Courtney.

The 26-year-old was murdered two years ago by her ex-boyfriend Logan Burnett in a brutal, broad daylight attack in Ipswich town centre.

Burnett, who was branded a "monster", was jailed for a minimum of 23 years. Essex Police later admitted opportunities to protect the mother-of-three had been missed when they investigated incidents at her home in Colchester.

On Thursday, more than 60 people gathered on Burrell Road, where Courtney was killed, to remember her and raise awareness of domestic violence.

During the vigil for Courtney, both her mother and her sister delivered powerful speeches [George King/BBC]

Family and friends, many wearing tops with Courtney's face on them, held a minute's silence, lit candles, and listened to speeches from her mum and sister, Charleigh.

The evening was also used as a way of raising money for the Lighthouse Women's Aid charity, based in Suffolk.

"It was done at really short notice, so there was a little bit of fear that people might not turn out or be able to, but people still care," said Charleigh.

"They still came and it was really beautiful, felt really empowering and it was incredible — people do care about Courtney and people like her."

Friends and family members erected banners on Burrell Road, at the traffic light junction with Stoke Street, and on Stoke Bridge over the River Orwell [George King/BBC]

Courtney was stabbed to death three days before her 27th birthday by Burnett after he had warned her: "I will kill you."

She had been walking towards Ipswich skate park just after 19:00 BST on 6 August 2024 when he "hunted" her down and attacked her in front of her horrified friends.

As he fled the scene and discarded the knives and his green jumper nearby, "caring" mother Courtney was reportedly heard asking: "Am I going to die?"

"We won't ever get over it and the pain will probably last until we, too, die. That amount of pain breaks you in half, but we can't give up," added Charleigh.

"We've struggled and dragged ourselves out of the mud to fight for her and what's right."

'If you stay silent, abuse is going to thrive'

According to domestic violence charity Refuge, one woman is killed by an abusive partner or an ex-partner every five days on average in England and Wales.

Charleigh told the BBC she believed the only way to eradicate domestic violence was for everyone to start "holding men accountable".

"Not every man is the same, but if you call out your friends, brothers, uncles, fathers for behaviour that doesn't sit right, that's when change will start," she said.

"If you stay silent, that's when abuse is going to thrive, so we need to wobble their heads and say this isn't good enough."

A woman pays her respects to late mother-of-three, Courtney, who had two sons and one daughter [George King/BBC]

Courtney, from Ipswich, was living in Colchester at the time of the attack, a move she made so she could be further away from Burnett, who also lived in Ipswich.

In the wake of Courtney's murder, assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper, of Essex Police, admitted "opportunities for safeguarding were missed".

The Independent Office for Police Conduct also found four Essex Police officers "potentially breached standards" but said they would not face disciplinary action.

The force said changes had been made to improve support for domestic abuse victims.

Courtney's mother, Samantha, said losing a daughter was something she would not wish on anybody [George King/BBC]

Courtney's family told the BBC they were attempting to establish a new law in her memory in a bid to ensure other women do not suffer the same fate.

They also want to create a gated community in which women who are victims of domestic abuse can seek support and safety.

"There are a lot more people like Courtney who have survived, and Courtney would love that, she'd want anyone experiencing it to get out safely," said Charleigh.

"Courtney, over a long period of time, was severely let down and, in the end, defenceless. But no women should be going through that — it's heartbreaking."

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