The family of murdered toddler Maya Chappell has issued an impassioned plea to the Government to "save our children" as they mark four years since her death.
Maya's great-aunt Gemma Chappell has renewed calls for action to better protect children four years after the two-year-old's life was tragically cut short by her mum's new partner.
The Shotton Colliery toddler was violently shaken by Michael Daymond on September 28, 2022, and died at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary two days later.
Her family have channelled their grief into fighting for changes to child safeguarding through Maya's Law, which The Northern Echo has backed since its launch last September.
Now, on the fourth anniversary of Maya's death today (September 30), Gemma, a police officer from Consett, has appealed directly to Prime Minister Andy Burnham and the Government: "Save our children."
"We need the Government to sit up and listen; now is the time when new safeguarding laws must be introduced," she said.
"For too long, we've waited for those right at the top of Government to engage with us. We want the Government to save our children."
Gemma has urged the PM to meet her and the family to discuss the way forward.
The renewed call comes as Maya's family face another September 30 haunted by memories of her final days in hospital.
Gemma has described the anguish of sitting at Maya's bedside as the family realised she would not survive.
The family then had to make the devastating decision to switch off the toddler's life support.
"Having to make that decision and turn her life support off was heart breaking," she said.
"As a family, this is the most difficult thing we had to do. To sit in the hospital and watch her day after day suffering was gut-wrenching.
"Those feelings of losing Maya will never go away, but hopefully her loss can inspire good for other families and safeguarding changes to save other children across the UK.
"This will be Maya's legacy."
Maya's father, James Chappell, learned she was in hospital from a social media post rather than a call from those caring for her.
He rushed to the hospital to be with her, but Maya never regained consciousness.
She died two days after suffering catastrophic brain injuries in the attack.
Four years on, Maya's relatives are fighting to stop another child from suffering as she did.
Gemma and fellow great-aunt Rachael Walls lead the Maya's Law campaign, calling for major changes to how information about adults who may pose a risk to children is shared.
At its heart is a call for a Child Risk Disclosure Scheme which would allow information about potentially dangerous adults to reach the parents or guardians who need it to protect a child.
The family say the current system leaves parents responsible for knowing what information exists and how to request it.
The campaign has gathered more than 110,000 signatures and reached Westminster, where MPs have debated Maya's case and the family's proposals.
The Northern Echo has backed the campaign since its launch in September 2025, helping take the family's demands for change from the North East to a national audience.
While the family have campaigned for change, the Government has said its focus is the Schools and Wellbeing Bill, passed earlier this year.
But Gemma says the Bill does not go far enough to protect children or close gaps between agencies and information sharing.
"We don't want a watered-down bill; we want Maya's Law to be its own bill, not included in another of the Government's bills," she said.
"We've already identified numerous issues with the current bill and areas where it could be stronger.
"While Maya's case has been included now in the Schools and Wellbeing Bill, it's not enough from our point of view."
Daymond had been in a relationship with Maya's mother, Dana Carr, for only a matter of weeks.
Maya had suffered abuse before the fatal attack, and relatives had raised concerns about bruising on her body.
They had raised concerns about Maya and sought information about Daymond's background before her death.
Daymond was convicted of Maya's murder and jailed for life in December 2023, with a minimum term of 20 years.
Carr was convicted of child cruelty by neglect and allowing the death of a child, then jailed for nine years. Her sentence has remained a source of anger for the family.
Earlier this year, the family learned that Carr could be released under the early-release scheme, adding "fear and anger" to their grief.
The Prime Minister has since announced that people who cause a child's death will serve their full sentence in prison, giving the family hope.
"The Government's U-turn on this has helped us know that Dana Carr will stay in jail, but as long as they stick to this," Gemma said.
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Gemma says the family want Maya's death to bring "lasting changes to the safeguarding system rather than becoming another case examined only after a child has been killed."
They say four years on the campaign is far from over.
Today, the family will remember the little girl whose life was cut short at 2.
"She was such a happy, smiling girl who loved her family and loved her food," Gemma said.
"Her loss will never get any easier for us, and it's about balancing the good and bad days with it.
"But we want to help other families, so they don't experience the loss and grief we have experienced."
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