Slain woman’s family launches advocacy campaign to prevent intimate partner violence deaths

Bailey McCourt, a 32-year-old a mother of two, was beaten to death with a  hammer in a Kelowna parking lot on July 4.

Debbie Henderson chokes back tears reading a letter her grief-stricken family has written to Canada’s prime minister.

“Bailey was a vibrant, kind, and deeply loved woman whose life was tragically cut short by an act of preventable violence,’ the letter reads in part.

Bailey McCourt, a 32-year-old a mother of two, was beaten to death with a  hammer in a Kelowna, B.C., parking lot on July 4.

Her ex-husband James Plover was charged with second-degree murder not long after.

“Bailey’s story illustrates a pattern: the legal system identifies a threat, documents abuse yet fails to protect the victim from the ultimate act of violence,” the letter reads.

McCourt’s father, stepmother and family members such as Henderson are calling the advocacy campaign Bailey’s Law, which includes a number of legislative changes they say are urgently needed to protect victims of intimate partner violence.

“Her death is a devastating example of the justice system’s failure to protect victims of intimate partner violence,” the letter states.

The proposed changes include the creation of a domestic violence offender registry, which the police and public could access to track individuals convicted of serious or repeat domestic violence offences.