THE mother of murdered Becky Godden-Edwards will have an audience at 10 Downing Street next month to call for justice reform after thousands of people have backed her petition.

Karen Edwards has spent the last 18 months relentlessly campaigning for a change in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act after a conviction could not be brought against her daughter’s killer.

Becky disappeared in 2002 and her body was not found until 2011 when police were led to her remains in a field in Eastleach, Gloucestershire. Taxi-driver Christopher Halliwell confessed to her murder but it was ruled inadmissible after a court found that lead detective Steve Fulcher had breached PACE guidelines in failing to caution Halliwell.

Karen has now had an official invitation to the Prime Minister’s offices on January 14 when she will present the petition, which she hopes could reach 100,000 signatures.

“This is the final step now and I just don’t know what to expect,” Karen said.

“The whole campaign has been absolutely amazing and I have been brought to tears at times by the response from some people. They have been simply brilliant and so supportive, and I have met a lot of new friends along the way.

“We have already taken 30,000 signatures to [South Swindon MP] Robert Buckland and we are still collecting them in. We have given out so many thousands it is difficult to keep track.

“It is getting them all back that is the real problem. Christmas is a busy time for everybody and to ask people to stop and get in touch is a stretch but it only takes minutes. The long term could be very beneficial. Christmas is a family time and unfortunately I am not able to celebrate it with Becky.

“I do feel very relieved that the campaign will soon be over because I’m absolutely shattered. I am totally worn out, but it has all been for a good cause. I know it is not going to change anything with what happened with Becky or bring her back, but what the family has been through and are still going through I would not wish on my worst enemy. The whole thing has been horrific.

“We need to get tougher on our justice system and the time should fit the crime. The whole thing seems to be about the criminal and their rights rather than the rights of the victim and their families, and there are a lot of people who have suffered because of that.

“We have been told that we need to get the signatures to Number 10 five days before we arrive, so I am pleading with everyone to get them returned by 6 January so that every one of them counts.

“Every petition pack has cost money and I don’t even want to think about how much the whole thing has cost. But I would not want to put a price on justice.”

Anyone with a petition pack should urgently return them to 78 Cricklade Road, SN2 8AF. Alternatively signatures can be returned electronically with a name, street and postcode to karen.edwards.170@btinternet.com.

Submissions must be made by January 6at the latest.