Brother calls for longer sentences for killers after his young sister was brutally murdered in Milton Keynes

A man who brutally murdered a 22-year-old woman and gagged her by stuffing toilet paper down her throat is being considered for release just 13 years after the horror attack.

Jason Burrows suffocated and strangled 22-year-old Gemma Sisley at his home in Broughton, Milton Keynes, in 2008.

A court heard he was angry after Gemma, who lived in Newport Pagnell, ended their relationship and his attack was "determined" and brutal.

He put toilet paper down her throat to gag her and to stop others in the house from hearing her screams, and ripped a radiator off the wall.

Gemma's neck was compressed, possibly by being held in an arm-lock, and her body was wedged between the mattress and wooden side of his bed, a jury was told.

Afterwards, garage worker Burrows sent texts from Gemma's phone pretending to be her.

He was given a life sentence with a minimum of 15 years and is now in his mid-40s.

But recently Gemma's family were informed that he's had a probation hearing and been granted open prison conditions, which include unescorted trips and overnight releases.

He will continue to be assessed to determine his ongoing suitability for releases, but the Sisley family feel that justice has not been done.

Gemma's brother Tom has started a petition on Change.org, begging the government to introduce longer sentences for murderers.

He said: "Back in 2008, my beautiful sister Gemma was lured to the home of her ex-boyfriend and brutally murdered. Although we will never know why she went there that night, we do know that my sister's final minutes were filled with absolute terror.

"She had toilet paper stuffed down her throat, to stop her screams from being heard. A radiator had been ripped off the wall and her body was stuffed down the side of a bed.

Tom added: "The nature of a murder pre-defines the minimum sentence. In this case one minimum "life sentence" of 15 years was his sentence.

"Had he used a knife or another weapon, excluding guns, he would have been looking at a 25 year life sentence. Had he used a gun, 30 years would have been the sentence. Or had he had political or racial motivation, he could have been looking at a whole life sentence, and might never have been released.

"For a man, 12 years older than my sister to murder an innocent young woman who had only just started her adult life, and to only use his hands is even worse than a person using a weapon.

"The rage and ferocity to rip a radiator off the wall, or to force objects down somebody's throat to stop neighbours and housemates from hearing somebody's screams is a lot more calculating and dangerous and should deserve a longer sentence than a who pointed a gun at someone.

"Murderers should spend a majority, if not the rest of their lives behind bars. They should not have a key to their cell doors."

You can view Tom's petition here.

In a tribute to Gemma after Burrows' conviction, her family described her as a "friendly, outgoing, bubbly and full-of-life girl with a host of friends.

"We all miss Gemma enormously every day and she will never die in our hearts, minds and memories," they said.

The defence in court claimed Burrows was so severely depressed at the time he was ‘not responsible for his actions’.