I answered the phone on Christmas Day and my world fell apart

I smiled as I watched my three grandchildren excitedly open their presents from Santa.

It was just before 11am on Christmas Day in 1997 and I was at the house of my son, Michael – then the phone rang. Picking it up, my son’s face dropped and all the colour drained from it.

‘It’s Dad,’ he turned and said to me, before passing over the phone.

Then came the words I’ll never forget: ‘The police think Joanne’s been murdered.’

My daughter, Joanne, was just 29 years old.

I immediately went ballistic and started screaming. The poor grandkids – all of whom were under 10 – didn’t know what was wrong with Granny so they were ushered away.

That was the day my life changed forever – but now, almost three decades on, the murderer who killed my little girl will be released soon. I’m doing everything in my power to stop that from happening.

Joanne was always so happy, caring and quick to see the good in people. She’d be constantly on the phone wanting to chat, even though she lived just 15 minutes away from me in Throckley, near Newcastle.

She spent the first half of Christmas Eve in 1997 at her flat with her cat. Then her father was due to pick her up and drive her to his home in Stamfordham, Northumberland, so that she could go out with her friends at the pub that evening.

My husband, Wayne – Joanne’s step-dad – and I actually called her to persuade her to spend Christmas Day with us, but she was determined to spend it with her dad and friends.

After I hung up the phone, I had no idea it would be the last time I ever spoke to her. What happened next is what I later found out from the police.

Joanne had never met 23-year-old Steven Ling until that evening in a Stamfordham pub when she was out with her friends. They all left around 1am and he tagged on to the group to walk down the village to their respective homes. He was intoxicated.

Joanne made it back to her dad’s flat alone and was preparing to go to bed – she even had water in the bathroom sink, her jewellery on the windowsill, and her coat was laid on her bed.

Steven Ling then came back and somehow persuaded her to go to his house as he said he was having a party. But when she got to his house, there was no one else there.

He started kissing Joanne and she tried to get away, so then he punched her and later raped her. Either during or immediately afterwards, he stabbed her with a kitchen knife and attempted to suffocate her with a pillow and duvet.

Horrifyingly, the knife he used broke, so he obtained a second one to continue the attack. A pathologist revealed that Joanne had sustained a total of 60 injuries – 31 of which were knife wounds, including an attempted cross or swastika in her skin.

Steven Ling then got into his car and was arrested later that night for driving under the influence of alcohol. He then admitted to killing Joanne.

I knew none of this at the time, so when my son got that call on Christmas Day, my world fell apart. Then we were asked to drive to Hexham to identify the body, which was just awful.

Due to the extent of her heinous injuries, her body was swaddled so we only saw her face with her eyes wide open. I recall blood dripping from her mouth and she just looked so angry.

The rest of the day was a blur. It was the worst thing that could have ever happened.

It was February when police relayed the full details of what happened to Joanne – including the fact that she had cuts to her hands where she tried to defend herself, her pubic hair was partially shaved and there was a cigarette shoved inside of her.

 A psychiatric report later concluded it was a ‘picqueristic style’ attack, which refers to a sexual interest in penetrating the skin of another person with sharp objects.

The details are dreadful. I was screaming, shouting, and I couldn’t believe someone would do that to my little girl.

Nevertheless, I decided very early on that I wanted to be kept up to date with everything, so I was very involved with helping the police put the case against the perpetrator together.

I was in the courtroom throughout Steven Ling’s trial – including when he pleaded guilty to murder. But even though he admitted rape, the charge was left to lie on file (meaning he has not been classed as a sex offender).

He received a mandatory life sentence, with Mr Justice Potts telling him: ‘You will never be released so long as it is thought you constitute a danger to women.’

I couldn’t have been more relieved because I had some justice for my little girl, yet it didn’t sit right with me about the rape charge.

The grief never goes away and I needed a lot of medication that first year after Joanne’s death. It knocked me for six so I couldn’t eat or sleep.

Ever since Joanne’s death, I’ve been outspoken in the media and followed the case very closely, including the five parole board reviews he’s had to decide if he should be released.

I was shocked to find out that during his reviews in 2020 and 2022, it was recommended to the Secretary of State for Justice that he be moved to open conditions (a lower level security prison).

Thankfully, this was rejected and I was happy about that, but everything changed on September 9 this year. 

I was actually on holiday in Lanzarote when we were informed of the Parole Board’s decision to release Steven Ling into the community. I was in shock and immediately felt disgusted by the news.

My phone started blowing up with calls and messages from journalists asking what I thought about the news. 

It came about after a public parole hearing in July, where two psychologists gave evidence recommending Steven Ling’s release from prison. The parole board then concluded that ‘imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public’ because his conduct in prison has ‘largely been exemplary’.

Then on October 22, the parole board refused the Lord Chancellor’s request to overturn its decision – so it’s looking like he’ll be released at some point in the future. As yet, we haven’t been informed when this will be.

I think this is outrageous and it’s absolutely the wrong call. 

At the end of the day, I want authorities to lock him up and throw away the key. Of course, there’ll be conditions of his release, but I don’t think they’ll be able to keep an eye on him all the time.

I’m terrified he’ll reoffend because I don’t think a person like that can change. To make matters worse, he’s not a convicted sex offender so he won’t be placed on the Sex Offenders Register, which means nobody would know they’re living next door to him.

I am so worried for the safety of women if he gets out. He’s dangerous – and my beautiful daughter is the proof. 

After 27 years, I still cannot spend a family Christmas with my son, Michael, and his family as it’s too painful. We also don’t have Christmas at all – that means no cards, presents, decorations or Christmas food.

Every year since her death, I can’t deal with the festive hype in the lead up to Christmas so Wayne and I go on holiday. But I always have to be back home by Christmas Eve to be with Joanne at her grave – as well as on Christmas Day itself. 

As her mother, I feel I’m letting her down if I’m not there with her.

Steven Ling has broken our family and yet he will be released very soon into the community to take up his life again. But I believe he should be kept in prison for the rest of his life.

He is a very dangerous man. And I will never ever forgive him for taking her from us.

As told to James Besanvalle

This article was originally published December 4, 2024

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