| Location | Liverpool |
| Age | 30 years |
| Cause of Death | Murder |
| Date of Death | 02/11/1993 |
| Visitors | 805 since 30/10/2008 |
| Creator | |
| Helpers |
From The Liverpool Echo:
A LIVERPOOL grandmother today told how she will come face to face for the first time in 14 years
with the bully who beat her daughter to death.
Peggy Govender, 71, from Toxteth will confront Anthony Cunningham next month.
Butcher Cunningham, known as The Beast, murdered her 30-year-old daughter Julie in front of their
children in 1993. Mrs Govender will ask officials to keep Cunningham locked up during a parole board
hearing at Shepton Mallet prison in Somerset.
He was jailed for life in 1994 for the murder of his former wife.
But he could be a free man in 10 weeks.
Mrs Govender brought up Julie’s three children Anthony, 24, Ashley, 23, and Emma, 20.
They have all promised to do everything in their power to keep the 49-year-old killer behind bars.
Mrs Govender said: “I owe it to Julie to fight this. I am adamant that I am going to face him –
I am not frightened of that coward.
“I feel sick at the prospect of him being allowed out of prison, but I also feel very angry. What
he did to my Julie in front of those three children was despicable.
“One of my fears is bumping into him one day in town.
“He could be walking the streets and could come face to face with Anthony, Ashley or Emma.
That’s just not right.”
Mrs Govender is allowed to submit a statement to probation officials before the hearing although
what she can say is limited.
She has already been warned she could be thrown out if she speaks out of turn.
She said: “All the rights are in favour of the criminal, not the victim and their family. The fact
that he could be set free makes a mockery of a life sentence.
“It is 15 years since he killed Julie, but to me it feels like yesterday. How I feel just keeps
getting worse.
“Julie’s three children are a credit to her. I am very proud of them and I know Julie would have
been too. I know I am biased because she is my daughter, but she was the best and we talk about her
all the time.
“I just can’t stop talking about what happened to her because she’s my girl. It is as if I
have not started grieving for her yet.
“I am Catholic but I can’t go to church and say the Lord’s Prayer because I would be a
hypocrite. I cannot forgive him for what he did.
“I have three great-grandchildren now and how do I explain to them that their nan was killed by
their grandad?
“On October 30 it will be 15 years to the day that Cunningham battered her.”
In 2005 Peggy and her grandchildren were outraged to discover Cunningham was allowed on an escorted
day out from prison.
The family have since discovered that Cunningham has been unexpectedly put back into a closed prison
after a spell in an open prison.
Mrs Govender was joined by her grandchildren Anthony and Emma on a march through Liverpool earlier
this month to protest at lenient sentences.
Life Should Mean Life: Merseyside Families for Justice, included friends and relatives of murdered
Merseysiders angry at the system.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “The release of all lifers who have served their minimum
term of imprisonment is a matter for the quasi-judicial Parole Board.
“Parole Board panels are independent and cannot direct the release of such prisoners until the
panel is satisfied that any risk they present may be safely managed in the community.
“All life sentence prisoners are subject to probation supervision on release from prison.
“They will have to adhere to a set of strict conditions and are subject to recall to custody for
the rest of their lives if their behaviour indicates that it is no longer safe to allow them to
remain in the community.
“They may also be subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements, a statutory set of
arrangements established by the police, probation and prison service in each area to assess and
manage the risk posed by sexual and violent offenders.”
Best Wishes Margaretx
Dear Margaret
I sincerely hope your wishes are considered by the parole board. It is you and your granchildren and their children who have to live with this. Why should we as families have to endure the possibility of bumping into the person who has wrecked so many lives. They should not be let out for such devastating crimes. My support for you is 100%xx
Denise A (FBook)
Thinking of you often.xxxxxxxx
Julie I never got to know you cos that monster took you away before I got the chance too but I know your mum,sisters and your children. Your Family miss you so much Julie, you are mentioned every single day.I am good friends with your sis Jac and Ive seen the tears she cries for you.Peggy your mum has campaigned long and hard to keep that monster locked up for what he did to you and i Know her heart breaks a little more each and everyday that passes.Antony,ashley and emma are great kids Julie you should be so proud of them.Well Julie your memory will live on in everyones hearts always. R.I.P. Julie.All my love to you and your Family.xxxxxxxxxxx
Forever young...
A beutiful person inside and out, I'll be honest I don't remeber Julie all that well but my mum talks about her with affection. My mum says she was a beautiful little girl who grew up to be a beautiful young woman, took away far too soon.
Rest in peace Julie.
Love Sharon McCaffrey (Norman and Carolyn's daughter) xxxx
keep that animal behind bars
hi im from liverpool from is said in this page i had tears come to my eyes ppl who do the crime must serve the time he has takin this womans life so he should stay behind bars for like they should bring back hanging for ppl like him he has destroyed her kids and familys likes from a true scouser rest in peace babe xx
A VERY SPECIAL LADY X
we have known each other since we little.We lived in the same street and in and out of each others house as wel as Nita your Jackie and Michelle,Pat,Caorl,Michelle,Denise and all the lads on our road.your mum was always there for us all just like all our mums.Remember all the laughs we had and all the tears we have cried.Then we grow up and went our seprate ways but always there if we needed to be and still are.I was talking to pat today and she said she is still in touch with your mum.Always in our hearts Julie xx
F.A.M.E
F.A.M.E.
Families Against Murders Escalating
Families who have been a victim of violent crime fighting to get justice for
their loved ones. Working with the community to change attitudes of the gang
culture and supporting families who have been a victim of violent crime.
f.a.m.e123456@live.com
this a new email add we had probs with old one
Phone Jackie on 07745645714 & colin 07956931469
we got a big march in augs 2009
hope you support us
I am in awe of your bravery to face this monster and will pray for you that you get justice for julie and her 3 children god bless
xxx
margaret
hi lam so sorry for your lost and no l don.t agree with him getting out to kill some one els has they say a life for a life and l hope you win the case and try and keep carm l know it will be hard but you don.t want to get into trouble for that scum bag its not worth it think about them three kids you brought up they don.t want to see you sent down he will only laugh at you l know how you feel l would be the same if it was my daughter l wauld not be abel to control my self any way all the and l will keep my fingers cross xxxx
Stolen Memories
A WOMAN has had the memories of her murdered daughter stolen after a thief snatched her handbag.
Margaret Govender, from Toxteth, carried keepsakes of daughter Julie Cunningham in her bag, including a lock of hair and her engagement ring.
Everything was lost when a thief snatched her bag while she was shopping at the new Asda, on Smithdown Road, on Tuesday night.
Daughter Julie, from Old Swan, was murdered in front of her three young children by her husband, butcher Anthony Cunningham, in the early hours of October 30, 1993.
Cunningham, who was described in court as a jealous obsessive, beat her to death.
Julie died in hospital on November 2, 1993, when doctors switched off her life support machine. Cunningham was jailed for life on July 7, 1994.
Her mum, Margaret, said that while she was in the hospital a friend suggested she take the lock of hair.
"I kept it in a special box made of wood with gold on the sides and a ray of sunshine on the top. I can't believe somebody has taken it, I just want my Julie's lock of hair back, it's all I've got left of her."
She added: "I always carry my bag with me, but my leg was hurting, so I hooked it on the back of the trolley while I walked over to get some milk and butter. I must have only been away a minute but when I turned back it had gone."
The bag also contained Julie's engagement ring, which is gold with a large cut diamond, and a sovereign ring, as well as 500 which Margaret was planning to use to buy Christmas presents for her grandchildren --who saw the horrific murder of their mum.
"I just hope someone out there has a conscience and realises what they've taken from me. Or that somebody might have seen my Julie's things.
"All I really want is that lock of hair.
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