Nadia Salam: Domestic Abuse – greater understanding is still needed

In September 2012 I wrote an article about domestic abuse and the impact on victims. With the recent changes in legal aid funding due to LASPO I have thought more about domestic abuse the impact it has on victims and the children of the family as well as the difficulty to obtain evidence of such abuse.

I have recently had a number of clients report breaches of non-molestation orders to their respective police forces.  The response that each client has received has differed greatly.  In 2007 the law was changed and made it a criminal offence to breach a non-molestation order a breach is an arrestable offence.  However this has not been the approach that all police forces across England have taken.  I personally have experienced mixed responses from the police and other professionals dealing with a breach of non-molestation orders.  Some police forces have arrested and charged respondents for texting the applicant to inform them they are running late for contact handover as the order has stated...

Read the full article here.