Paris ShearsBBC News
Digital
Abuse campaigner sees late-plea changes debated
BBC South's political editor reports on the Westminster Hall debate prompted by Paris's petition, which was signed more than 107,000 times.
Advocacy & Campaigns
Making survivors' experience count.
Paris's advocacy focuses on recognising coercive control, protecting victims and reforming how the justice system treats survivors.
Areas of advocacy
Where Paris focuses her work
01
Recognising coercive control
Helping people — particularly young people — understand what manipulation and control can look like, so it can be named sooner.
02
Survivors and the justice system
Speaking about what the court process asks of survivors: the long wait for trial, the fear of giving evidence and the impact of last-minute changes of plea.
03
Victim safety and early release
Raising survivors' concerns about how early release policy affects the safety of victims of domestic abuse.
04
Survivor-led change
Standing alongside survivors and survivor-led organisations calling for their experience to shape the decisions that affect them.
Featured campaign · Founded by Paris Shears
Paris's Law
A call for legislation so that defendants charged with controlling or coercive behaviour cannot receive a sentence reduction for a guilty plea entered after first pleading not guilty.
After reporting domestic abuse, Paris spent more than 530 days preparing to give evidence at trial. On the day the trial was due to begin, the defendant changed his plea. The trial did not go ahead, and the guilty plea could still be credited with a reduction in sentence.
Paris believes that, in coercive control cases, a last-minute plea can allow control to continue through the justice process itself — and that survivors who have carried the weight of a trial for months should not see that change of plea rewarded.
In April 2026 she launched a UK Parliament petition setting out the proposal, which she named Paris's Law.
Paris Shears is the founder of Paris's Law. This is her personal website; the campaign has its own separate official website, which is the home for campaign news and updates.
- Petition signatures
- 107,159
- Debated in Westminster Hall
- 19 Oct 2026
- Days Paris waited for trial
- 530+
“I'm so proud of Paris for fighting to change the system.”
Key milestones
From petition to Parliament
01
21 April 2026
Petition published
UK Parliament petition 764553, “Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases”, is published and opens for signatures.
Source(opens in a new tab)02
11 May 2026
Government responds
After passing 10,000 signatures, the petition receives a written response from the Ministry of Justice. It says later guilty pleas already receive a substantially lower reduction in sentence.
Source(opens in a new tab)03
18 May 2026
100,000 signatures
The petition passes 100,000 signatures, so the Petitions Committee will consider it for debate in Parliament.
Source(opens in a new tab)04
May 2026
National coverage
BBC News, LBC, Metro and The Sun report on the campaign.
Source(opens in a new tab)05
16 July 2026
Debate scheduled
Parliament confirms the petition will be debated on 19 October 2026.
Source(opens in a new tab)06
August 2026
Survivors' march
Survivors and supporters march in support of Paris's Law and justice reform, marking the launch of the National Survivors Justice Coalition.
Source(opens in a new tab)07
19 October 2026
Debated in Westminster Hall
MPs debate e-petition 764553. Responding for the Government, the minister says it is not currently persuaded to remove guilty plea reductions for this offence, and sets out wider support for victims. The debate does not change the law.
Source(opens in a new tab)08
21 October 2026
Petition closes
The petition closes with 107,159 signatures. Paris continues to advocate for reform.
Source(opens in a new tab)
Campaign coverage
Paris's Law in the news
Daily Echo
Newspaper
Paris's Law hits 100,000 signatures and will go to Parliament
As the petition passes 100,000 signatures, Paris says the total “shows just how many people feel that something isn't right”, and calls for greater awareness of coercive control among young people.
BBC News
Digital
Abuse victim calls for review of sentencing guidelines
BBC South reports on Paris's petition calling for an end to sentence reductions for late guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases. Paris says she is hopeful it “could be the start of a judicial system reform”.
Future projects
What comes next
New projects will be shared here when Paris is ready to announce them.