Maya Chappell’s family call on PM to end ‘turmoil’

The Northern Echo revealed last month that Dana Carr, 27, could be let out after serving less than three years of a nine-year sentence for allowing the two-and-a-half-year-old’s death, and child cruelty.

And Maya’s family have now called on the PM to “step up and make a decision for the good of families” after having to deal with the torment of potentially having to come face to face with Carr once she’s released from her jail term, maybe even as soon as in a few months.

Dana Carr (Image: DURHAM CONSTABULARY)

Mr Burnham said on Tuesday (August 11) that “I don’t want to see a single prisoner released early” as he claimed to have been “pressing every single day to go further” after saying he is “increasingly confident” the killers of PC Andrew Harper will not be released early from their sentences.

However, Maya’s great aunts, Gemma Chappell and Rachael Walls, have insisted that with every day that policies or decisions from the government change, “trust in justice and politics is eroded”.

“We’re left in limbo every day, not knowing if Dana Carr will be released,” said Gemma.

“It’s an emotional rollercoaster, and we’re left in turmoil every day by all of this.

Maya Chappell (Image: FAMILY)

“The prison service and Ministry of Justice aren’t balancing this on a case-by-case basis; they’re trying to do a ‘one size fits all approach, and it’s not good at all.”

Gemma and Rachael have insisted that they “wholeheartedly back” the decision on PC Harper’s killers, and now want the PM to look into individual cases more carefully.

When asked about what their message would be to PM Andy Burnham, they said: “We want him to get a grip of the situation and not flip flop on decisions.”

“The justice system is an absolute joke.

“We want Andy Burnham to sit down with us and listen to families.”

Rachael Walls (left) and Gemma Chappell (right) (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Gemma, who is a current police officer and a former prison officer, knows the challenges of prisons more than most, but says that the thought of her and her family coming face to face with Carr in the street is “unimaginable”.

“To say that we could easily see her around Consett and the area is sickening,” said Gemma.

“And younger memebers of the family could see her as well, which is awful.”

Following Carr’s sentencing, she applied to have her jail term reduced in the Court of Appeal in April last year, but her plea was thrown out.

The Attorney General also received a request for referral for Carr’s sentence after it was called “unduly lenient” back in January 2024.

It was considered by then Solicitor General Robert Courts MP, who decided not to refer the case to the Court of Appeal.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham (Image: Toby Shepheard/PA Wire)

Carr was jailed along with her ex, Michael Daymond, who was found guilty of Maya’s murder and child cruelty and was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 20 years behind bars.

“Monster” Daymond shook defenceless Maya in her Shotton Colliery home in September 2022, and she died at the Newcastle RVI two days after.

Back in Westminster, the PM said he had “never taken no for an answer” as he confirmed he had ordered Justice Secretary Alex Norris to draw up plans to increase the number of cells available to keep more serious offenders behind bars.

Mr Norris had been asked to fast-track proposals to create “more headroom” in the prison system, including through deporting more foreign offenders, finding a solution for people on indeterminate sentences and using cells previously holding female inmates to accommodate male offenders.

Since last year, Maya’s family, alongside The Northern Echo, have campaigned for stronger safeguarding laws and legally required information-sharing about potential risks to children, including a new Child Risk Disclosure Scheme (CRDS).

The MoJ said that more than 18,000 offenders serving more serious sentences will not be released early and timelines for any individual early release have not been calculated yet.

Under the Sentencing Act 2026, those who previously would have been released at 40 per cent or 50 per cent of their sentence will now be eligible for release one-third of the way through their term.

Those who would previously have been released at the two-thirds point – typically for more serious offences – will now become eligible for release at 50 per cent.