Holly Bramley’s mother campaigns for ‘Holly’s Law’ after horrific link between animal cruelty and domestic abuse

Annette Bramley remembers her daughter Holly as someone who was deeply devoted to her family and had an enduring love for animals.

“She adored anything small and furry, or even not. I mean, she thought orangutans were beautiful,” Annette recalled.

But when Holly became trapped in a controlling and abusive relationship, her husband, Nicholas Metson, allegedly turned that love of animals into another weapon against her.

Metson bought Holly a puppy and later attempted to kill it by putting it inside a washing machine at their home in Lincoln. Holly rescued the animal, but Metson subsequently drowned it in a bath.

According to Annette, the cruelty did not stop there. Over the course of the couple’s seven-year relationship, Metson went on to kill and abuse numerous hamsters, rabbits and guinea pigs.

Annette believes the threats and abuse directed at Holly’s pets were used to control and manipulate her.

“I didn’t think he would stop at animals. I knew the connection between animal abuse and domestic abuse,” she said.

When police eventually arrived at the family home, Annette said she immediately feared the worst.

“When the police came to the door, we knew nothing else could possibly have happened to her. We didn’t suspect a car accident or anything like that; we just said: ‘What has he done to her?’”

Holly, 26, was killed by Metson in March 2023 in an attack prosecutors described as “twisted and barbaric”. Her body was cut into more than 200 pieces, which were later discovered by a member of the public.

Now, Annette is campaigning in her daughter’s memory for a proposed law known as Holly’s Law.

The campaign aims to prevent prolific animal abusers from obtaining more pets while also raising awareness of the connection between animal cruelty and domestic abuse.

Among the measures Annette wants to see are an animal abuse register and a system allowing police to disclose information about animal abuse and neglect to relevant organisations, potentially preventing perpetrators from acquiring more animals.

Research has identified a strong connection between pet abuse and domestic abuse, including cases where perpetrators use animals as a means of coercive control.

Analysis by the UK’s national wildlife crime unit has also identified a connection to domestic violence and abuse among 27% of wildlife crime offenders.

The government has said it commissioned a research project to investigate the relationship further and would work with the veterinary profession to help staff recognise possible signs of domestic abuse through non-accidental animal injuries.

Annette believes vets could play an important role in identifying warning signs.

“I think vets need to be educated on this. If you have an animal that’s regularly being brought in with a broken leg or dislocated shoulder, they should be able to spot the signs and raise concerns,” she said.

Mark Randell, a former senior detective and campaigns manager at the Naturewatch Foundation, which supports the campaign, said Holly’s Law would allow safeguarding organisations to be alerted when animal cruelty occurs alongside domestic abuse.

“The whole concept of Holly’s Law is to be able to at least advise those safeguarding organisations where there is animal cruelty within a domestic abuse environment,” he said.

He pointed to the prevalence of pets in households across the UK, arguing that stronger protections could make a meaningful difference.

“Bearing in mind how many domestic abuse cases involve animal abuse, and the fact that 50%-60% of households in the country have a pet, it will make a real difference.”

Randell also called for animal cruelty to be taken more seriously in discussions surrounding misogyny and violence against women and girls, describing it as a significantly overlooked risk factor.

“There’s an increasing number of young men, predominantly, who are using catapults and slingshots to harm wildlife. We’ve got to shift that culture,” he said.

“It’s about respect for women, but also respect for all living beings and the environment.”

He added that conversations surrounding online abuse should also recognise harm directed at animals.

“And if we’re talking about what’s being done in relation to online abuse of people, we’ve got to make sure it includes animals too.”

In Holly’s case, Annette said Metson had a history of animal abuse dating back to the age of eight. He had openly admitted strangling animals and had come to the attention of the RSPCA, but had never been prosecuted.

For Annette, that history has become central to her determination to push for change.

She wants to understand why someone with a record of harming animals was able to continue obtaining pets — and whether earlier intervention could have prevented what eventually happened to her daughter.

“Every single day my thoughts were consumed with what happened and how we failed to save her,” she said.

“And with his history, why was he allowed to go on to have more pets?”

“He’d been harming animals for all these years. What can we do to stop that?”