Cathy Press Featured on Laura Whitmore: Britain’s Teen Killers on Crime+Investigation Channel
We are glad to announce that Cathy Press, Founder and Director of Awareness Matters, is featured in the new true crime documentary series Laura Whitmore: Britain’s Teen Killers, currently airing on the Crime+Investigation Channel.
This series, hosted by broadcaster Laura Whitmore, explores the stories behind some of the UK’s most shocking crimes committed by young people. Each episode dissects one teen killer case, featuring insights from experts and investigators, with the aim of uncovering the factors that influence the decision of these teenagers to commit such crimes.
Cathy appears in Episode One, which covers the murder of Holly Newton, a 15-year-old girl who was killed by her ex-boyfriend Logan MacPhail in Hexham in 2023. The episode explores the relationship dynamics behind the crime, including the role of coercive control, domestic abuse, and early exposure to violence.
Cathy Press talking with Laura Whitmore, on Episode One of ‘Laura Whitmore: Britain’s Teen Killers’
Despite being a victim of clear coercive control and domestic abuse, Holly's murder was prevented from being defined as domestic abuse because Holly was 15 when she died, instead being classified as a knife crime. In the UK, the law defines domestic abuse as abusive behaviour by one person towards another, where both people are aged 16 or over.
“Without a doubt she was a victim of domestic abuse,” says Cathy in Episode One. “Part of the problem is that we very much see domestic abuse through the lens of adult relationships in terms of: domestic violence will only take shape in the home of the two people living together. But, of course, for young people that’s not the case. They’re actually being violated and threatened and coerced through the use of digital technology in the four walls of their bedroom whilst their parents are sat downstairs.”
Holly's mother, Micala Trussler, is currently campaigning to lower the age a person can be recognised as a victim of domestic abuse: Holly's Law. We at Awareness Matters very much hope this law comes into effect and fully support Ms Trussler's work on this.
Cathy Press, filming for Laura Whitmore: Britain’s Teen Killers
As a psychotherapist and activist for domestic abuse and coercive control awareness, Cathy brings over 30 years of experience in supporting survivors and educating professionals on the dynamics of intimate partner abuse and coercive control.
Her feature in Laura Whitmore: Britain’s Teen Killers highlights how coercive dynamics can be so easily missed by young people in their early relationships, the impact of domestic violence on young people, and the intentions
Escape the Trap
Escape the Trap is an 8-week programme offered by Awareness Matters, supporting all young people to learn about the dynamics of grooming, coercion, and power and control. It can be used in any setting with young people aged 13-25, whether working with groups or one-to-one. The programme uses a combination of discussion, exercises, self-reflection, and research to provide part-therapeutic and part-knowledge based education and engagement.
This teenage-focused programme was developed in response to the rising numbers of young people being vulnerable to coercive control, sexual coercion, and intimate relationship abuse. The rising cases of teenage relationship abuse, its impact on the wellbeing and mental health of young people, and cases like Holly’s, where coercive control in young relationships are turning to extreme violence and murder, prove beyond doubt that educating our young people on relationship abuse and coercive control is crucial.
“Escape the Trap is imperative for the future wellbeing of our young people,” said a newly trained practitioner of the Escape the Trap Programme. Escape the Trap can be, and has been, run within any youth provision, including schools, universities, youth clubs, with students, teenage mothers and young parents, as well as adapted for one-to-one use with young people aged 11 and over.
If you would like to train to facilitate Escape the Trap, you can book onto facilitator training, or learn more at our website.
Watch The Episode
Tune into Laura Whitmore: Britain’s Teen Killers on the Crime+Investigation Channel or check your local listings for streaming availability. To learn about the series visit the Crime+Investigation official website or watch an extract of Episode One for free.
Cathy Press with Laura Whitmore, filming for Laura Whitmore: Britain’s Teen Killers
When Love Bites
Do you feel worried or nervous around your partner? Do they twist your words, put you down, threaten or physically hurt you?
When Love Bites is a brand new book for young people just like you. This book explores what happens to us in relationships that are less than comfortable and happy. It gives an in-depth explanation of the many different types of abusive behaviour, who is actually responsible for this behaviour and, more importantly, how this behaviour may have impacted you and the way you see yourself. It aims to make clear that you are not responsible for the way you are treated by your partner or for how you feel about yourself as a result of their behaviour. Having awareness is the first step to protecting yourself and recovering from what you’ve experienced.
When Love Bites is broken into short, easy-to-read sections that explain the different types of abusive behaviour, what it feels like to be on the receiving end and what to do about it. You can either read it from cover to cover or dip in and out of the bits that are relevant to you.
This is the must-have book for teenagers and young people, parents, carers, teachers, youth workers, and anyone who works with young people.
Awareness Matters is a training organisation offering trauma-informed programmes, trainings, and workshops on abuse-related issues, including intimate partner violence, teenage relationship abuse, and child to parent violence. Interested in hearing more about our work? Click to see our trainings below or continue to explore the website!