Baroness Helen Newlove

“Over the past two decades, Helen was a passionate advocate on behalf of all victims of crime and she leaves an impressive legacy.

Above all, her team will always remember her as a warm, caring and compassionate colleague and a very dear friend…”

Read the full tribute.

Russell A’Court
Chief Executive Officer – Office of the Victims’ Commissioner

I first got to know Baroness Newlove when she invited me to join her victims’ advisory group during her first stint as Victims‘ Commissioner. I wasn’t sure quite what to expect –  whether she’d be a grand and imposing dowager straight out of Downton Abbey – or something else entirely. She definitely wasn’t the former.

Helen was warm, funny, empathetic and immensely kind. She was a beacon of hope and support for all victims whatever the problems they had experienced. 

I will be forever grateful to her as she was one of the very first who took victims of mentally disordered offenders seriously and did so much to help. She commissioned a powerful report which led to significant changes in legislation in the Victims and Prisoners’ Bill.

She ‘got it’. We didn’t need to explain the emotional, physical and psychological toil of having to battle with a multitude of services for basic rights and information, whilst we were still grieving. She immediately understood need for urgent change. And she was definitely not backward in coming forward to speak up powerfully for victims, not only in the House of Lords, but wherever she could around the country.

I’d heard that she’d been unwell but was so shocked and saddened to hear she had passed away so suddenly. 

I will miss her friendship and dedication, her infectious laugh, the pictures of her dog, but most of all the fantastic support and help she gave both to me and to all of our families.

Helen, we will sorely miss you.

Julian Hendy
Founder
Hundred Families

I am deeply saddened by the passing of Baroness Helen Newlove — a truly inspirational woman, a tireless advocate, and one of the strongest voices for victims our country has ever known.

As a member of her Victims’ Advisory Panel, I had the privilege of seeing first-hand her compassion, courage and unwavering commitment to ensuring victims were never forgotten or side-lined. She turned unimaginable personal tragedy into a powerful force for change, fighting relentlessly for victims to be heard, supported and treated with dignity.

Baroness Newlove gave victims of anti-social behaviour a voice when too many felt ignored or dismissed.

She understood that ASB is never “low-level” for those living with its daily impact — it damages lives, families and communities. Her campaigning helped secure stronger powers, greater accountability and a renewed recognition that victims deserve action and justice, not excuses.

She was instrumental in shaping the Victims’ Code and strengthening victims’ rights, always reminding policymakers and practitioners that behind every policy and piece of legislation are real people seeking fairness, respect and support.

In every conversation, she brought empathy and strength in equal measure, speaking truth to power with grace and conviction. She never lost sight of why she began this journey — to ensure no family endured what hers did, and that victims of crime and ASB were protected, not forgotten.

Her loss feels deeply personal to those of us who worked alongside her. Her legacy will live on in the voices she empowered, the systems she changed and the lives she improved.

Joy Allen
Durham Police and Crime Commissioner

On 11 November 2025, we lost an authentically true champion of victims of crime – Baroness Helen Newlove – or for anyone that met her, Helen (everyone has heard her say “just call me Helen”).

I had the genuine pleasure and honour of not only knowing Helen for many years, but I got to call her my friend, my supporter and my go to.

As a victim myself, standing up publicly and putting yourself out there in order to create change for others is really scary. But when you have Helen in your ear, by your side and looking after you… you have nothing to fear. She was someone I confided in often and got great advice from in navigating the world of politics and the world of victims’ work.

She stood up very publicly for male survivors when others didn’t and it wasn’t popular to.

She had the difficult conversations when people would not necessarily want to.

And she has always been there for all victims.

I will always hold Helen in such high regard and I will always be in debt to the care and compassion she showed me and taught me how to show others.

I want to ensure I always send love to all victims of crime, not just those that have experienced sexual harms like I did, because that is what Helen did, sent love to all victims.

Duncan Craig OBE
Chief Executive Officer
We Are Survivors

I was deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Baroness Helen Newlove, the longest-serving Victims’ Commissioner.

Helen was an extraordinary woman whose strength, compassion, kindness and courage transformed the way victims and bereaved families are heard and supported. Her tireless campaigning on antisocial behaviour helped to bring national attention to an issue that affects so many communities.

Her voice ensured that victims were not forgotten and that their experiences shaped real change. Helen paved the way for victims who wanted a seat at the table and showed us that victims can and should be taken seriously – that our voices matter, and that lived experience has the power to drive change. She showed me personally that I could use my voice and be heard, and that it was possible to make a difference.

Helen will leave a huge hole in the lives of her beloved family, but also in our community of victim advocacy and justice, and in the House of Lords, where her wisdom, friendship, and kindness touched everyone. She leaves behind an incredible legacy, and I will do my very best to make her proud by continuing the work she cared so deeply about. My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with her husband, her daughters, and all her loved ones and friends.

Claire Waxman OBE
London Victims’ Commissioner (2019- 2025) and Victims’ Commissioner designate (2026 – )

Everyone at Murdered Abroad was saddened to hear that Baroness Helen Newlove has died after a short illness.

Helen came to one of our early meetings in Manchester when she spoke about the murder of her husband, Garry, and empathised with the plight of the families we support following a homicide abroad.  

Since then we have had a long and productive association with Helen and her colleagues at the Office of the Victims Commissioner.  As a member of Helen’s Victims Advisory Group, I had the pleasure of working with Helen on what she called “Homicide Abroad – ‘Unfinished Business’.  

Helen was kind, approachable and down to earth.  With her lived experience, she ‘got it’.

She did a fantastic job on behalf of all victims during her two terms as Victims Commissioner and in the House of Lords.

Thank you Helen.

We send our condolences and sincere sympathy to her family, especially her girls, and all her friends and colleagues at this sad time.

Helen will be greatly missed by all of us who worked with her.

Eve Henderson
Director and Co-founder Murdered Abroad

I worked for Baroness Newlove as her CEO between 2014 and 2016. A period which I reflect upon as one of the most enriching experiences of my career.

Much will have been said about Helen’s commitment to victims, and she never once lost her passion and commitment to getting a better deal for them.

From the outset I was impressed by her passion, energy and empathy which radiated to all who met her, but I would also like to pay tribute to her curiosity and adaptability.

She had a skill in continually learning and reviewing how she could use her unique roles as Victims’ Commissioner and as a Peer in the House of Lords to deliver maximum benefits for victims of crime.

Helen didn’t come from a background in politics or the civil service, but she quickly learned how to work within the structures, cutting through what she saw as unnecessary bureaucracy to give a laser focus to the issues that genuinely mattered to victims.

Helen was an entirely authentic person, full of life, love and loyalty regardless of what life threw at her or who she was speaking to.

In all the time I worked for her I never saw her anything but immaculately turned out and determined to do the best for everyone who had been the victim of any sort of crime.

Many times, I witnessed how she put even the most nervous of people at ease with her warmth, humour and compassion.

I feel privileged to have worked with this amazing woman and to have shared the laughter and frustrations of both her personal and public journeys. 

Her death is way too early and my heart goes out to her daughters, and husband of whom she was so proud.

But for me this is not the end, her indomitable spirit, her passionate support for victims and the joy she brought to so many people will live on forever. 

Rest in Peace Helen.

Claire Wiggins
Former CEO of Victims’ Commissioners Office 2014- 2016

The passing of Baroness Helen Newlove is a loss felt heavily by me and all across government. I was fortunate enough to work alongside her and see first-hand the incredible way she could turn empathy into action for the victims who needed her – all whilst battling grief and loss of her own. 

As both Victims’ Commissioner and Deputy Speaker in the House of Lords, Helen embodied everything a public servant and advocate should be. Through her searing determination to use her voice where others couldn’t, she shaped the Victims’ Code; strengthened victims’ voices in the criminal justice system; and ensured that the Victims and Prisoners Act progressed with victims’ interests at its heart.

I’m certain that the impact of Helen’s work will be felt eternally by victims, the bereaved, and agencies delivering on the changes she made. My thoughts are with her friends and family who have shown immense courage at this time.

Minister Davies-Jones
Minister for Victims and Tackling Violence against Women and Girls

To me, and to the countless lives she touched, Baroness Helen Newlove was quite simply a force of nature.

I came to know Helen well during my time as a Police and Crime Commissioner. When she decided to step down as Victims’ Commissioner – a role she truly made her own – she was the one who persuaded me to succeed her, supporting me every step of the way. I remember our first meeting vividly; she came through the door with such presence and power. We shook hands, sat down, and immediately understood one another.

Helen always described herself as an “ordinary woman” thrown into a criminal nightmare after the tragic murder of her husband, Garry. But there was nothing ordinary about her response. She transformed that personal pain into an absolute resolution, determined that families facing catastrophic loss should receive the dignity and support that she felt were missing in her own experience.

She was the doughtiest of fighters. I saw how she navigated Westminster, refusing to be patronized or dismissed. She learned to speak truth to power, whether to Cabinet Ministers or the judiciary, with a plain-speaking voice that demanded attention. Yet, alongside that fierceness, she remained extraordinarily empathetic. Unlike me, she had walked in the shoes of the victims we represented, and she used that unique experience to do an enormous amount of personal good.

Her legacy is unquestionable, but as she herself noted recently, the work is not finished. There is still a long way to go to ensure the justice system treats people with the care they deserve. We must carry that work forward with the same ferocity she did. I will remember Helen not just as a stalwart national figure, but as a wonderful, kind friend who feared nothing.

Dame Vera Baird
Former Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, 2019-2022

I had the pleasure of meeting Baroness Newlove when she visited our team in the Defence Victim Witness Care Unit earlier this year. She took the time to understand the complexity of the Service Justice System and its unique responsibility for ensuring operational effectiveness, safeguarding our people, and meeting international obligations.

We took a great amount away from Baroness Newlove’s visit but, for me, the most notable and lasting was her words of wisdom to ‘always remember to humanise the narrative.’

Baroness Newlove was such a remarkable, inspirational, knowledgeable, and compassionate leader – a force to be reckoned with. She will be sadly missed. 

Nina Slocombe
Director 
Victim Witness Care Unit