THE system of policing and prosecuting domestic violence favours abusers over their victims, a Swindon women’s refuge chief has warned.

Olwen Kelly, director of Swindon Women’s Aid, called for stronger sentences for violent abusers, sending a clear message to those who subject their partners and family members to sometimes decades of hurt and control. She branded court orders designed to protect victims “dogs without teeth” - if they are not enforced by the authorities.

Figures

The proportion of domestic abusers convicted by the courts has fallen over the past three years, relative to the number of domestic violence offences recorded by Wiltshire Police.

Home Office figures show there were 622 convictions for domestic abuse-related offences in the county in 2017/18, while police recorded 5,655 domestic violence offences. In 2015/16, there were 778 convictions compared to 4,805 offences recorded by police. Police investigations are often plagued by difficulties in collecting evidence or persuading victims to support prosecutions.

Ms Kelly, who joined Swindon Women’s Aid in 2012, said: “At the moment, the criminal justice system is set up more in support of the abuser than the victim.The laws against domestic violence are there, but it’s about how effective we are in using them."

"We don’t need more laws. We just need to be more effective with the laws that we have and the other tools we have at our disposal . We have to police them.

“You can have a hundred laws, but if the courts don’t set an example, then it won’t happen.”

While recognising the importance to the English criminal justice system of the presumption of innocence of a suspect, she said comparatively poor clean-up rates for domestic violence offences and lenient sentences sent completely the wrong message to victims.

“Domestic violence victims are terrified,” Ms Kelly said. “They’ve already been told by the abuser before they go to court that the police can’t help you, the courts can’t touch the abuser and if they go through with the case they’re going to pay. That threat is there.”

'Dogs without teeth'

She described restraining orders, court orders banning an abuser from contacting their victim, as a “dog without teeth”.

Ms Kelly said: “I’ve had incidents where a restraining order or a non-molestation order has been broken five times. On one occasion a woman woke up to find her ex-partner at the bottom of her bed. If we don’t respond to breaches of orders then they are not effective. They are a dog with no teeth and abusers know this.”

Police - 'report your concerns to us'

Wiltshire Police's Det Insp Simon Childe said the force took all reports of domestic abuse very seriously and urged victims to come forward.

The force lead for domestic abuse said: “We take all reports of domestic abuse very seriously and have Domestic Violence Protection Notices and Domestic Violence Protection Orders in place to provide immediate protection for a victim following an incident. This also provides the victim with more time to consider what to do next.

“We fully understand that victims may feel trapped and unable to leave, but there is support available, whether or not they want the police to be involved. Some organisations, such as Swindon Women’s Aid, can find accommodation for the victims and their children if they need it.

“If you are in an abusive relationship, whether it be psychological and emotional or physical and sexual, we are on hand to listen and support you. Please call us on 101 to report your concerns or call 999 if you, or someone you know, is in immediate danger. If you don’t want the police to be involved then please speak to a domestic abuse support service, or even a GP, health visitor or teacher."

Multi-agency work crucial to tackling violence, says CPS

A spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service said: "The CPS recognises that improvements within the criminal justice system cannot be achieved alone.

"Strong multi-agency work is essential to the successful prosecution of domestic abuse cases. The CPS is working across the criminal justice system and with specialist organisations supporting victims of domestic abuse to identify areas of good practice, implement lessons learnt and to provide our prosecutors with the necessary tools and skills.

"This will ensure that we have the capacity and capability to handle domestic abuse cases, provide an adequate level of support to victims, and continually drive forward improvement."

People need to call cops over abuse fears

Members of the public need to be as confident calling the police over domestic abuse concerns as they would be reporting a burglar, Olwen Kelly said.

Her plea followed shocking domestic violence incidents in Swindon. In one murder case, a woman screamed for six minutes as her partner beat her, later attempting to cover up her killing by torching their Rodbourne home.

Olwen Kelly, director of Swindon Women’s Aid, said: “Let’s look at domestic abuse like we would any other crime.

“If we saw somebody break into a car I’d like to think the majority of us would ring the police. We don’t do that with domestic violence and abuse.”

Ms Kelly sat on an expert panel reviewing the shocking death of Swindon mum Andraya Lyons, murdered by boyfriend Anthony Porter in 2016. Porter, who is serving a 17-and-a-half-year sentence, hit her with an iron, stamped on her head and poured paint down her throat before setting fire to their Drew Street home in the early hours of December 2016.

“She screamed for six minutes,” Ms Kelly said. “That’s somebody screaming and shouting in obvious distress. The neighbours heard it, but they went back to bed.”

To report concerns about domestic abuse call police on 101 or 999 in an emergency, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111