The age at which the law recognizes victims of domestic abuse needs to be examined after the murder of 15-year-old Holly Newton, the Home Secretary has told the BBC.

The teenager was stalked and then stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend Logan MacPhail in Hexham, Northumberland, last January.

Holly’s mother, Micala Trussler, has been campaigning to lower the age at which a person can be legally recognized as a victim of domestic abuse.

Yvette Cooper told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that it was an “extremely important issue” and that the government would “take seriously the points” Holly’s family had raised.

Currently the abuser and the victim must be over 16 years of age for it to be considered a crime of domestic abuse.

“We will look at this specifically because we need to make sure we have the right ways to record this type of violence in teen relationships,” Cooper said.

“I think this is an extremely important issue and we need to take seriously the points they have raised.”

Tussler added that more needed to be done to educate people about domestic abuse.

“Children enter relationships much younger and can be victims of domestic abuse,” she said.

“We need more education, not only for children but also for teachers and parents.

“We talk about safe relationships, but often about abuse from family members, but we don’t talk about when they (children) are in a relationship and watching for red flags.”

The young couple had been together for 18 months after meeting at the army cadet home.

MacPhail, then 16, stalked his victim for almost an hour before launching the vicious attack.

Now 17, he admitted manslaughter but was found guilty of murdering Holly and intentionally wounding another young man who tried to stop the attack.

Holly’s stepfather, Lee Trussler, said: “I think if Holly had known what to pay attention to, the relationship would have ended a lot sooner than it did.”

He urged young people to “talk to each other” and support each other.

“Don’t be afraid to tell parents what’s happening, tell an adult or their caregivers,” she said.

“Don’t be afraid to say what’s happening, because if you’re afraid to say what’s happening, it could end very badly.”

The family has also been raising money to install purge boxes (to help treat critical bleeds) in public areas.

The Home Secretary added that she sympathized with Holly’s family and said it was a “really terrible case”.

The government has committed to halving violence against girls and women within 10 years, Cooper added.