Remembering 10 women who have lost their lives to violence in 2025

This week the MP Jess Phillips read out the name of 95 women suspected of having been killed by men in the past year.

It took five minutes for The Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls to get through the list as fellow MPs listened in silence in the House of Commons.

According to the Femicide Census, one woman will be killed in the UK on average every three days. But these women are more than just a number, or another statistic in a horrifying body count. These women mattered.

They were someone’s daughter, sister, friend, mum, aunt, and much-loved colleague. Each had a name and a life, before it was brutally stolen from them – more often than not, by someone they once trusted and loved.

Here, Metro pays tribute to just some of the women whose lives have been needlessly cut short by violence in 2025.

Marianne Kilonzi

Marianne Kilonzi was ‘the life of the party’, who was known for her love of good food and red wine.

The Rotary Club of Lavington Jioni in Nairobi, where 43-year-old Marianne was treasurer for two years before coming to live in the UK, said she had a kind spirit and offered unwavering commitment, while one friend recalled how she was a woman with a ‘brilliant mind’ and her ‘integrity unmatched’.

Marianne was VP of Trade and Working Capital Sales at Citibank, where she had worked for 18 years but had recently relocated to the UK after a promotion.

She was also known as someone who lived life to the full, until it was cruelly snatched away on 17 January, when she was fatally attacked at her flat in Woolwich. Police are believed to have an unnamed suspect in mind.

Dianne Cleary

On 25 January this year the night sky above Lea Manor Fields in Bedfordshire was lit up by lanterns and fireworks in memory of ‘fierce protector and warrior’ Dianne Cleary.

Mum to Callum and Caitlin, she was described as a ‘beautiful friend’ by Aimi Rix, who recalled how the grandmother ‘could change the vibe in a room with her glowing smile and infectious laugh,’ adding that the Dianne, 46, was ‘so much fun to be around, could start a party in broom cupboard. Her courage knew no bounds.’

In an emotional post, her daughter in law Tysie Gallagher wrote on her Facebook page that Dianne was a beautiful soul, adding the grandmother was the ‘most kind-hearted, caring, beautiful woman’.

Dianne, who lived in Luton, was taken to hospital following a frenzied attack at a local house on 20 January, where her daughter was also hurt. Sadly, Dianne died from her injuries.

In the wake of her mother’s death, Caitlin left a bouquet of flowers at a police cordon, which carried the note: ‘Mum, I love you so much. I miss you. What can I say but you gave your life for me, I’m so sorry. My world.’

A 25-year-old man has since been arrested and charged with murder.

Jamelatu Tsiwah

31-year-old Jamelatu Tsiwah had accomplished many good things in her short life, according to those who knew her.

One friend described Jamelatu as a ‘bright, kind and loving person who touched the lives of everyone around her.’ Dedicated to her studies, they said Jamelatu had a ‘vibrant spirit’ and a warm heart that will never be forgotten.

Another posted on Facebook that her friend was ‘full of life, dreams, and laughter, and she brought so much joy into my world.’

Jamelatu was found dead at a property in Croydon, she had died from neck compression. A 21-year-old man has been charged with murder and attempted murder, while a second man, 21, arrested on suspicion of murder has been bailed.

Claire Chick

Kind, warm, sassy and clever, are just some of the words that have been used to describe Claire. It’s also been said that she loved to dance and sing – and even though she wasn’t the best, she had no shame in doing it in front of any audience.

A lecturer at the University of Plymouth, she had previously worked as a cardiac nurse at the University of Leicester and had dedicated her life to nursing, according to those who knew and loved her.

One friend, Joanne Taylor said that 48-year-old Claire spent her life giving to other people and that she ‘dedicated her life to being the best nurse I have ever known’.

Claire was a mum to two daughters and a grandmother of five and was the glue and ‘go to’ of the family.

When she died from multiple stab wounds on January 22, her daughter Bethany Jayne posted: ‘I don’t quite know how to live without our mum’.

Her family released a statement saying: ‘She was the most beautiful lively soul and was there for everyone. Everyone who knew our mum had so much positive words to say about her. She was the life and soul of any place where she was.’

Two weeks after Claire’s death, hundreds gathered at Plymouth Hoe and the former town lighthouse was lit up in her favourite colour green.  A 53-year-old man has been charged in connection with her death.

Lisa Smith

In February this year, flowers and balloons were solemnly placed outside the Three Horseshoes pub in Knockholt. On one of them were the words: ‘wonderful mum’. They referred to 43-year-old Lisa Smith, who her son Teejay also called ‘the best’.

Born in Sheerness, grandmother Lisa was living in Berkshire when she lost her life in the car park of the Kent pub on Valentine’s Day. She had been fatally shot in the neck.

A car driven by a man known to Lisa, was found later that evening by officers abandoned on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. A handgun was found inside and police have since said they are confident the suspect had fallen into the river.

Dawn Searle

In her words, Dawn was a ‘proud mama’. Her social media is packed with posts encouraging friends to download her son Calum’s new song or give her daughter Amanda’s ‘first little barbers shop’ in Edinburgh a try.

When she married Andrew Searle at a ceremony in France in 2023, actor Calum gave his mum away and later posted: ‘Not many people can say they walked their own mother down the aisle. What a pleasure. I love you mum’.

Dawn, 56, grew up in Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders and had lived near Edinburgh with Andrew, before they moved to Les Pesquiès in France a decade ago. It was a place where she was said to become ‘very integrated’ within the local village, often enjoying time with her neighbours.

The couple were found dead at their rural home on February 6. Dawn had suffered ‘multiple blows to the head with a blunt and sharp-edged object’, while her husband had died from hanging.

Natasha Callan

Natasha was in every sense a family woman. A mother of five, she was also the ‘baby of the family’, as the little sister to six siblings. She was an aunt to many nieces and nephews.

Her loved ones, who spanned from Dublin to California, said pictures of Natasha, with her gentle smile and blonde hair, could never truly convey her ‘loud laugh’, ‘the warmth of her big hugs’ or ‘the clasp of her hand over yours’. But, they added, ‘she was all these things and more’.

Indeed, a social media tribute to 48-year-old Natasha, described her as a ‘kind-hearted lady’.

However, her life was cruelly cut short on the morning of Tuesday 25 February, when her body was found at a property in Stonnal.

A 53-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and has since been released on strict conditional bail.

Leanne Williams

There’s no doubt that horses were a huge part of Leanne Williams’ life. From pictures of ponies with noses buried in their feeding buckets to a snap of her lying peacefully beside one on the grass, her social media was lovingly filled with photos of them.

But it wasn’t just horses 47-year-old Leanne had an affinity with, friends called her a ‘loving person, beautiful person inside and out’, while one recalled memories of them riding out together on their ponies.

On 27 February, Leanne was found lifeless at her home in Swansea. She had suffered significant injuries consistent with an assault. Her loss of life has been ‘devastating for her family’ and a ‘shock to the local community’.

A man has appeared in court charged with murder.

Julie Buckley

It was on January 28 that ‘kind’ Julie Buckley was last seen. Grainy CCTV footage last captured the 54-year-old at a supermarket in the area of March that afternoon, just 16 miles from her home in Christchurch, Cambridgeshire.

Despite no further news of her whereabouts, police became so concerned about Julie’s welfare that they treated her disappearance as a ‘no-body’ murder investigation and supported her family as they searched for further information, and continue to do so.

They have since arrested and charged a 47-year-old man with murder.

Ana Maria Murariu

45-year-old Ana Maria lost her life on Friday 28 February. Police were called to her home in Perivale, London after reports of a disturbance.

There, they found Ana Maria unresponsive and she sadly died, despite the best efforts of the ambulance crew to save her precious life.

In the wake of her death, the Romanian community in London are said to have been left ‘shaken’ by her loss.

A 50-year-old man from Perivale was charged with her murder.