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KATIE BRETT'S SISTER SASHA MARSDEN WAS JUST 16 WHEN SHE WAS STABBED TO DEATH BY DAVID MINTO, HE WAS GIVEN A MINIMUM TERM OF 35 YEARS. KATIE WANTS HIM JAILED FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE
17:06, 04 Mar 2025 The sister of a teenage girl who was brutally murdered and raped in a hotel 12 years ago is campaigning to keep the killer behind bars for the rest of his life. Katie
Brett's sister Sasha Marsden was just 16 when she was stabbed to death by David Minto, the caretaker of Grafton House Hotel in Blackpool, Lancashire in 2013. Sasha thought she was going
to a job interview but Minto stabbed her more than 100 times, raped her while she was dead or dying and dumped her body outside. He body was found burnt, wrapped in carpet underlay and
found in an alleyway. Katie, 34, said that although Minto was sentenced to life with a minimum of 35 years, she and her family believed he should have instead been sentenced for a whole life
tariff. Families can only appeal sentences within the first 28 days so she has now launched a petition asking for this to be changed. Katie said: "I campaigning to remove the 28 day
time limit from the unduly lenient sentence scheme in murder cases. I am arguing that 28 days doesn't account for the grieving period. You get told that someone who you love has been
murdered, but you don't get the full details until the trial because the details are classed as evidence. "You found out all the details, the person gets sentenced and then you are
given 28 days from then, to appeal the sentence. But you aren't ever told that you get 28 days, you don't get told you can appeal and you don't get told if it was a good
sentence or not." Katie and Sasha's mum Jayne Marsden died last year after having a stroke at 56, so Katie has vowed to fight even more to keep Minto behind bars. She said:
"The grief of losing Sasha affected us all really badly, but it affected my mum the most. She had a stroke, I believe the stroke was caused by the grief and trauma of losing her
daughter. She lost her ability to speak and she couldn't say what she was feeling so she could have fought for Sasha as much as she would have liked to. "When I found out my mum
was going to pass away, I told her to keep going and to not give up. The last thing she ever wanted was her daughter's killer to never be released, because Sasha can never be
released." Katie currently has over 10,000 signatures - which means the government will have to respond - but she hopes to get over 100,000 so it will be discussed in parliament. The
deadline for the petition is May 6 and as Katie is pregnant and is due in June, she hopes she can do this before she gives birth. Katie, of Cleveleys, Lancs., said: "It will be debated
in parliament if we get 100,000 signatures. I believe people who have opened a petition that reaches 100,000 signatures get invited to parliament to present their argument. I would be able
to go and be Sasha's voice and say why this change needs to happen. I'm focused on getting signatures, if I need to do other events to get them then I will do it. Article continues
below "My baby is due in June and the petition ends in May, then I really want to get the signatures. I will keep doing this and will never drop it, but it will nice to be enjoy time
with my baby and not have to stress about a petition that should easily receive signatures." She has also paid tribute to Sasha and said they had a great relationship, even though she
was Katie's "annoying little sister." Katie said: "She used to rob my perfume, she used to rob my makeup, she used to rob my bath stuff and used to do my head in. But she
would come to me if I had a problem and she knew I would always be there. She knew that if someone was horrible to her then I would have her back or she knew that if she had an argument
with one of her friends, then I would be sticking up for her."