John and Penny Clough have suffered more than most parents could ever imagine.

Fifteen months ago their daughter Jane, a nurse, was murdered close to Blackpool Victoria Hospital by her ex-boyfriend Jonathan Vass who had been charged with raping her.

Vass was free to brutally attack her because he had been allowed out on bail by a court even though Jane was worried that she might face physical violence from him.

The legal system gave her, as the alleged victim, no say in the decision-making process that led to the granting of bail.

By any yardstick that was wrong.

Jane’s parents have campaigned relentlessly and tirelessly for months to change the law and win victims and their loved ones the right to object to bail applications.

Yesterday Justice Minister Crispin Blunt announced that the government had agreed ‘in principle’ to changes in the Bail Act which will in future allow people like Jane to voice their fears to a judge in advance of bail decisions.

This is a big achievement for John and Penny and a huge step towards protecting others from Jane’s awful fate.