The family of Paula Newman, a young woman from Beckenham who tragically lost her life at the hands of her boyfriend Kane Boyce, is expressing frustration and anger after Boyce’s death in prison just six years into his life sentence. Boyce was convicted of murdering Paula Newman in a violent and controlling relationship, a crime that shocked the community.

Paula Newman, aged 20 at the time of her death, fell victim to her older and violent boyfriend, Kane Boyce, in a horrific incident involving physical violence and abuse over her Facebook password. In 2015, Boyce was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 20 years for his brutal actions.

The family’s distress has resurfaced with the revelation of Boyce’s death in prison on October 3, 2021, the day after his 41st birthday. He was discovered ligatured and unresponsive in his cell. However, an inquest jury determined that Boyce did not intentionally take his own life. A coroner identified multiple failures by prison staff that likely contributed to his death.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Paula’s sister-in-law, Lauren, expressed their deep sense of injustice. She said, “When we found out Kane was dead, there was so much anger. He hadn’t even done a third of his sentence.”

Boyce’s violent and controlling nature was revealed during his trial. On November 12, 2013, he murdered Paula by physically assaulting her, which included punching, kicking, and stamping on her head in New Addington. The dispute arose when Paula refused to share her online messages with him.

Despite Boyce’s false claims that Paula had fallen from his BMW, a jury at the Old Bailey found him guilty of murder. His history of violence against women, particularly his former partners, was exposed during the trial, with some victims too afraid to report him to the police.

Lauren recounted Paula’s initial perception of Boyce as her “Prince Charming” but highlighted how their relationship devolved into a nightmare marked by Boyce’s violent and controlling behaviour. Paula’s family described her as beautiful, kind, fun, and caring.

In light of Paula’s tragic death, her family has been advocating for Clare’s Law, a domestic violence disclosure scheme enabling police to inform partners about an offender’s history of abusive behaviour. Lauren stressed the importance of this law, stating that it could save lives in the future by preventing individuals like Boyce from going under the radar with their history of violence.

The news of Boyce’s death in prison reignited feelings of frustration for Paula’s family. He had been sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years but passed away just six years into his sentence. The family feels that they were cheated out of justice for Paula.

An inquest into Kane Boyce’s death highlighted multiple failures by prison staff. On October 2, 2021, Boyce was celebrating his 41st birthday in prison while consuming homemade alcohol known as ‘hooch.’ Staff suspected he was under the influence but failed to follow proper protocols. He was left unattended for over an hour and a half, during which he pressed his cell bell for assistance. Boyce was found unresponsive at 1:49 a.m. on October 3 and was pronounced dead shortly after.

The prison where Boyce passed away, HMP Lowdham Grange in Nottinghamshire, was operated by Serco, a private company, at the time of his death. A coroner raised concerns about several issues that could pose risks to future prisoners’ lives. A report called on the prison’s new private provider, Sodexo, to take action to prevent such incidents in the future.