One Australian state’s top lawmaker has warned prosecutors against making plea deals without first seeking input from victims or their families.

It follows growing anger over plea deals in high‑profile Victorian cases, where families say they were blindsided as charges were quietly downgraded.

One of those includes the 2017 killing of mother-of-four Alicia Little, whose fiance Charles Evans served less than four years in jail after running her down in his car outside their home in regional Victoria.

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Little’s family said the Office of Public Prosecutions (OPP) only consulted them after downgrading the charges from murder to ‘dangerous driving causing death’.

“They control everything,” Alicia’s mum Lee Little said.

Victorian Attorney‑General Sonya Kilkenny warned the OPP to adhere to the Victims’ Charter or face review.

“If those steps are not being taken, then yes, we need to review that. Absolutely review that,” Kilkenny told 7NEWS in the latest episode of its Kiss & Kill podcast.

“As I said, it’s an obligation under the charter for the OPP to consult with families and to take them through that process, to also listen to the views of families around those matters.”

Kilkenny also encouraged families to report any concerns with the legal process to Victoria’s Legal Services Commissioner.

The case of Borce Ristevski has also fuelled frustration after he received just 13 years for manslaughter following a plea deal over his wife Karen’s death.

Forensic criminologist Laura Richards said the system routinely benefited domestic violence offenders with no prior convictions.

“I think Victoria has some very big problems actually from looking at their cases,” she said.

“We see that sexism, we see that bias, that misogyny. So we have to keep taking apart these cases and looking at the decision-making.

“I believe categorically when you’ve got stalking coercive control there should be no plea deals made. There should be the higher threshold of the offence.”

Richards said there should never have been a plea deal for Ristevski.

“There are certain cases where you can change the law so that it’s not appropriate to plea it down to something lesser when someone is so dangerous and so diabolical,” she said.

“And I suspect if they assess him for psychopathy, he’s a psychopath.

“The fact that he could maintain a web of lies for almost three years: that takes a certain person to be able to do that.”

Kilkenny said she wouldn’t intervene in his parole assessment.

The debate comes as a report completed by the Australian Institute of Criminology found that most criminal cases end in guilty pleas, not trials, because plea deals help courts manage heavy caseloads.

It further found that Victorian prosecutors can feel pressured to accept lower charges when mandatory sentences make trials too risky or too costly for the system.

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If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.

In an emergency, call 000.

Advice and counselling for men concerned about their use of family violence: Men’s Referral Service, 1300 766 491.

Please support:

The Red Heart Campaign and Australian Femicide Watch: www.australianfemicidewatch.org/support

The Allison Baden-Clay Foundation: www.allisonbadenclayfoundation.org.au

Beyond DV: www.beyonddv.org.au

The Red Rose Foundation: www.redrosefoundation.com.au

White Ribbon Australia: www.whiteribbon.org.au

Friends with Dignity: www.friendswithdignity.org.au