Valerie Forde was just 45-years-old when she died. She was at home in Hackney, East London, when her abusive ex partner brutally murdered her and their 22-month-old baby, using a hammer, screwdriver, and machete.
Six weeks before she was killed, she reported her perpetrator to the police, as Roland McKoy had threatened to burn down her home with her children inside it. The threat was recorded as a threat to property - not a threat to life.
Horrified by her death, Ngozi Fulani founded Sistah Space in 2015 to help women like Valerie, and in the years since, the grassroots charity has helped save many lives from its Hackney-based centre, which isn't far from Valerie's home.
