'Clare's Law' plans condemned

Clare Wood was strangled and set on fire by George Appleton (PA)

Government plans to give people the right to ask police about a partner's history were condemned as a waste of money by a leading domestic violence charity today.

Refuge warned the cost of setting up "Clare's Law" pilot schemes in Greater Manchester, Gwent, Nottinghamshire and Wiltshire could outweigh the benefits.

But Home Secretary Theresa May said the fact that two people were killed by their current or former partner each week in England and Wales showed the need for action.

It comes after a campaign for a change in the law to help protect women from domestic abuse by Michael Brown, whose daughter, Clare Wood, was strangled and set on fire by her ex-boyfriend, George Appleton, at her home in Salford in February 2009.

Appleton, dubbed the "Facebook Fugitive" then went on the run before hanging himself.

But Refuge said that in a time of austerity "we can't afford the luxury of expensive and untested new schemes".

Sandra Horley, the charity's chief executive, said: "We are at an absolute loss as to why the Government is introducing the new disclosure scheme.

"It seems to have ignored the concerns of the leading domestic violence organisations and those of Liberty. The new disclosure scheme simply isn't supported by any of us with the expertise to judge its chances of success."

Most abusers were not known to the police and, where they were, legislation was already in place to give police powers to disclose information about previous convictions or charges in order to prevent further crime, she said.

"How many women at risk of abuse will actually use the scheme and would it make any difference to them if previous convictions were disclosed?

"The Government's own impact assessment suggests that at best the scheme will only result in an annual reduction of a half per cent in domestic violence."

But Mr Brown, a former prison officer originally from Aberdeen who now lives in West Yorkshire, said the scheme "certainly can't harm" women.

His daughter's life would have been saved if the law had been in place when she was alive, he told BBC Breakfast.

Mr Brown said: "I can't see that what I've proposed or what the Home Secretary has proposed can do any harm in this country at all.

"I have said time and time again that, had this been in place and had my daughter had any inkling of what this laddie was capable of, she would have been long gone.

"There's no doubt about that at all."

Asked if a father should also be allowed to find out about his child's partner's convictions, he said: "Certainly not in my case. My daughter was 36 years old. She was old enough to make decisions for herself without my interference."

Miss Wood, 36, a mother-of-one, had met Appleton on Facebook, unaware of his horrific history of violence against women, including repeated harassment, threats and the kidnapping at knifepoint of one of his ex-girlfriends.

At the inquest into Miss Wood's death last year, the coroner Jennifer Leeming said women in abusive relationships should have the right to know about the violent past of the men they were with.

Mrs May said: "The Government is committed to ensuring that the police and other agencies have the tools necessary to tackle domestic violence to bring offenders to justice and ensure victims have the support they need to rebuild their lives.

"This pilot scheme is designed to prevent tragic incidents from happening, such as that of Clare Wood, by ensuring that there is a clear framework in place with recognised and consistent processes for disclosing information."

The 12-month trial of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS), which starts in the summer, will be based on a "right to ask", enabling someone to ask police about their partner's previous history of domestic violence or violent acts, and a "right to know", where police can proactively disclose information in prescribed circumstances.

Chief Constable Carmel Napier, the lead on domestic abuse for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said: "A right to know and a right to ask will empower women to make informed decisions to protect themselves and their children when getting involved with a new partner.

"A national review of serial perpetrators of domestic abuse estimated that around 25,000 offenders of domestic violence had abused two or more different victims with violence or threats of violence in a three year period.

"Of those 2,500 had abused three or more victims and one force had an offender who had committed violence against eight different victims.

"If we hold this information and determine there is a risk of harm then we have a duty of care to disclose and inform to stop women from being victims in the first place."

PA