Parents of Leah Croucher launch petition to toughen sex offence punishments
It comes ahead of a two-part documentary airing on Leah's death this week
Last updated 14th Oct 2026
The parents of Leah Croucher have launched a petition to bring in tougher punishments for repeat sex offenders.
Leah was 19 when she disappeared on her way to work in Milton Keynes on February 15th, 2019. She would remain missing for three years, before her remains were discovered in a house in the Furzton area of the town.
It was ultimately ruled by a inquest that Leah had been unlawfully killed by Neil Maxwell, a known and convicted sex offender. He took his own life two months after Leah had disappeared.
John expressed his frustration at the way the police handled Neil's case, claiming the authorities had called him after discovering he had re-offended, giving him time to escape.
"They phoned him to tell him and ask him to hand himself in," John said. "So he went on the run. He then came across my daughter. That could have been your daughter, your sister, your mum. He was just an animal and they allowed that to walk our streets."
Now, seven years on from her death, her parents John and Claire are telling their story in a two-part documentary, "The Search for Leah Croucher: A Parent's Nightmare", due to air this week.
Claire and John have said the documentary was produced in order to clear John's name as speculation has risen that Leah had been killed by her own father.
John explained: "I was a very private person, it was my worst nightmare. But you don't need to hear people saying, you did it. That's my daughter. And it's just vile. After my son died, they accused him. They still accused him because the truth doesn't fit their narrative."
Leah's brother Hayden lived with bipolar disorder, and took his life nine months after his sister's disappearance. "He lost his sister that was his entire world and it destroyed him. The impact of that, you can never get over," John admitted.
Claire said that seven years on from Leah's death, she still struggles to process what happened: "Obviously some days are better than others. I can manage to get out of bed, but by the time I've put the kettle on, you're thinking about them and you miss them, the house is really quiet, really quiet.
"And we still have their belongings. What do you do with their belongings? Give them away and forget them?"
Claire added: "On a personal level, I don't like going out on my own anymore because I don't feel safe. I won't even go around the local shop on my own, so I've reverted back to being a child really, needing my hand held when I go out."
Now, the pair are raising awareness of their Leah's Law campaign, where repeat sex offenders receive a mandatory prison sentence on their third conviction.
Claire admitted she felt this was the best way to keep Leah's memory alive: "We can't give our daughter a wedding, we'll never see grandchildren, we don't have any memories to make - so this is the only thing that we can do in her memory. And it's really important to us that we change the law and help to keep other young ladies safe.
"My big hope is that a politician will hear this and they will just say, you know what, it is a common sense law, let's just implement it and we can stop. But I don't think that's going to happen, so we will keep fighting."
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said their 'thoughts remain with Leah Croucher’s family and friends' and it is 'deeply sorry for the failings in this case.'
They added: “After an in-depth review we’ve taken action to strengthen how we risk assess sex offenders while ensuring complex cases are assigned to more experienced probation officers.
“Sentencing decisions are made by independent judges in line with Sentencing Guidelines, but our message is clear – repeat offenders must face consequences that cut crime and protect the public.”