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

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.

The family also wants to see the government mandate presumptive first-degree murder charges when there’s a history of domestic violence.

Bailey’s Law also includes the implementation of  stronger lethal risk assessments into the decision-making framework of all police, prosecutors and judges involved in domestic violence cases.

The family is also calling on swift action related to bail reform so that bail is not automatically granted to people charged with serious domestic violence offences.

“Our family needs that and other families that have to go through it, too,” an emotional Henderson said.

Just hours prior to the deadly attack, Plover was convicted in Kelowna Provincial Court of uttering threats and assault by strangulation related to an incident in June of 2024, which , according to court documents, involved intimate partner violence.

Henderson said some of the changes they want to see are simple but could be life-saving, such as the use of GPS tracking devices.

“In this situation if there was a geo-fencing, an alert system for Bailey…she would have had time to find safety, ” Henderson said.

“I think that’s so practical, so simple, and to me and my family, that’s a realistic solution. The technology is there.”

Henderson said the government must acknowledge the gaps in the system and take accountability.

“The current laws aren’t working,” Henderson said. “It’s OK to admit that. It isn’t working and when something doesn’t work in our own lives, we go and we make change.”

Henderson fears if that change isn’t made, more lives will be lost.

“We are going to lose more women. We are going to have more kids without moms,” she said.

The prime minister’s office has not yet responded to the letter, which Henderson said was received a month ago.

Global News also reached out to the prime minister’s office to inquire whether any of the changes will be considered but has yet to hear back.

Henderson said it’s been a very emotional time since her niece’s passing but she added that the family is finding comfort in the outpouring of community support.

‘The community has stepped up in a big way,” Henderson said. “We feel you, we know you’re right here with us and we know you are going to join our fight.”

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