A report said that 29 children had been killed by their fathers in the previous decade as a result of child contact and residence arrangements in England and Wales. It called for additional safeguards and protection measures.
Source: Hilary Saunders, Twenty-nine Child Homicides: Lessons still to be learnt on domestic violence and child protection, Women's Aid Federation of England (0117 944 4411)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary | Community Care report
Date: 2004-Dec
The government said that, following a review of 297 cases, only 6 parents who claimed they were wrongly convicted of killing their children on disputed medical evidence (relating to sudden infant death syndrome) had asked the Criminal Cases Review Commission to refer their cases to the Court of Appeal.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Debate 21 December 2004, columns 2067-2075, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Dec
A report aimed to provide a comprehensive picture of the work of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships in relation to domestic violence. The majority of partnerships had included domestic violence as part of their last audit and strategy (89 per cent and 95 per cent respectively); most had also developed a stand-alone strategy to help them tackle domestic violence in their area (73 per cent). Domestic violence was considered to be a high priority by most partnerships (73 per cent).
Source: Alana Diamond, Corrine Charles and Theresa Allen, Domestic violence and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships: Findings from a self-completion questionnaire, Online Report 56/04, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Dec
The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act received Royal assent. The Act made common assault an arrestable offence; introduced new police powers to deal with domestic violence, including making it an arrestable, criminal offence to breach a non-molestation order, punishable by up to five years in prison; strengthened the civil law on domestic violence to ensure cohabiting same-sex couples had the same access to non-molestation and occupation orders as opposite sex couples, and extended the availability of those orders to couples who had never lived together or been married; and gave stronger legal protection for victims of domestic violence by enabling courts to impose restraining orders when sentencing for any offence.
Source: Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Act | Home Office press release | Women's Aid press release
Date: 2004-Nov
A literature review of violence against women was published by the Scottish Executive. It found that violence against women was widespread, and could affect women of any age, class, race, religion, sexuality, or ability. Factors which might increase vulnerability to some types of violence included age, disability, and poverty. Across all forms of violence and abuse, women were most at risk from men they knew.
Source: Lily Greenan, Violence against Women: A literature review, Scottish Executive (0131 556 8400)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2004-Nov
A report examined the potential role of health services in tackling domestic violence. Linked guidance was published. The government said that it would examine ways to include routine enquiries during ante-natal appointments to establish whether women were at risk of domestic violence.
Source: Ann Taket, Antonia Beringer, Angela Irvine and Shoshanna Garfield, Tackling Domestic Violence: Exploring the health service contribution, Online Report 52/04, Home Office (web publication only) | Ann Taket, Tackling Domestic Violence: The role of health professionals, Development and Practice Report 32, Home Office (020 7273 2084) | Press release 20 October 2004, Department of Health (020 7210 4850)
Links: Report (pdf) | Guidance (pdf) | DH press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Oct
The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill was given a third reading. Proposed measures included: new police powers to deal with domestic violence, including making a breach of a non-molestation order a criminal offence with a 5-year prison penalty; making common assault an arrestable offence; and stronger legal protection for victims by extending the use of restraining orders.
Source: Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill [HL], Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 27 October 2004, columns 1445-1541, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard | Home Office press release
Date: 2004-Oct
A report said that existing systems to determine why over 6,000 children died each year were inadequate - both for the purposes of identifying whether or not maltreatment had contributed to the cause of death, and for learning the lessons for future prevention.
Source: Corinne May-Chahal, Stephen Hicks and Jo Tomlinson, The Relationship between Child Death and Child Maltreatment: A research study on the attribution of cause of death in hospital settings, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (0207 825 2775)
Links: Summary | NSPCC press release | Community Care report
Date: 2004-Sep
A report said that the total cost of domestic violence to services (criminal justice system, health, social services, housing, civil legal) amounted to 3.1 billion, while the loss to the economy was 2.7 billion - a total of over 5.7 billion a year.
Source: Sylvia Walby, The Cost of Domestic Violence, Women and Equality Unit/Department of Trade and Industry (0845 001 0029)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | DTI press release
Date: 2004-Sep
A working group report considered how sudden deaths in infancy should be investigated, with a view to ensuring that steps were taken to prevent miscarriages of justice while at the same time protecting the interests and safety of children.
Source: Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy: A multi-agency protocol for care and investigation, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (020 7307 5600) and Royal College of Pathologists
Links: Report (pdf) | NSPCC press release | Community Care report | Children Now report
Date: 2004-Sep
Researchers followed a cohort of 69 physically abused babies (under 1) for three years after the incident. Of the 49 babies who returned home following child protection investigations, 15 were further abused in the three year period, a re-abuse rate of 31 per cent, which was much higher than the abuse rate in the general population.
Source: B. Ellaway et al., 'Are abused babies protected from further abuse?', Archives of Disease in Childhood, Volume 89 Number 9
Links: Abstract | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Sep
The Law Commission recommended that, in murder cases, a reformed partial defence of provocation should be available where the defendant acted in response to fear of serious violence (for example, victims of domestic abuse).
Source: Partial Defences to Murder: Final report, LC290, Law Commission (020 7453 1220)
Links: Report (pdf) | Appendices (pdf) | Law Commission press release (pdf) | Community Care report | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Aug
A probation inspectorate report said that national targets for dealing with domestic violence cases were being missed, and plans on how to manage the risks were poor.
Source: Reducing Domestic Violence: An Inspection of NPS work with domestic violence perpetrators, HM Inspectorate of Probation (020 7035 2200)
Links: Report (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jul
Consultation began on the issues that faced sentencers when dealing with offences that had been committed in a domestic context - including whether the domestic context made an offence of violence more serious, and whether a different approach was justified in such cases.
Source: Consultation on Domestic Violence and Sentencing, Sentencing Advisory Panel (020 7035 5158)
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | SAP press release
Date: 2004-Jul
A report described local councils' experiences of using 'stretch targets' for tackling domestic violence, under local public service agreements since 2000. Councils were failing to meet government targets to reduce the incidence of repeat victims of domestic violence.
Source: Targeting Abuse: Setting domestic violence stretch targets, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Report (pdf) | Community Care report
Date: 2004-Jul
A report said that women aged over 60 who were victims of domestic violence were suffering in silence, because the problem was ignored by professionals and policy makers.
Source: Older Women and Domestic Violence, Help the Aged (020 7278 1114) and Housing Associations' Charitable Trust
Links: Help the Aged press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jul
The government launched an official inquiry into the quality of expert medical evidence in child abuse cases. The Chief Medical Officer was asked to investigate the reliability of expert witnesses in the family courts in England, and also consider how best to remedy the shortage of paediatricians willing to undertake this type of work.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 17 June 2004, columns 52-53WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jun
Findings from the British Crime Survey suggested that 13 per cent of women and 9 per cent of men had been subject to domestic violence (abuse, threats or force), sexual victimisation or stalking in the twelve months prior to interview.
Source: Sylvia Walby and Jonathan Allen, Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking: Findings from the British Crime Survey, Research Study 276, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Study (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jun
An interim evaluation was published of a pilot project for the probation-led treatment of domestic violence offenders, based on a programme in the United States of America. (The Duluth project was a community-based programme designed to intervene in domestic violence cases, which attempted to co-ordinate a response by a variety of agencies and practitioners.)
Source: Charlotte Bilby and Ruth Hatcher, Early Stages in the Development of the Integrated Domestic Abuse Programme (IDAP): Implementing the Duluth Domestic Violence pathfinder, Online Report 29/04, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jun
The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill was given a second reading. Proposed measures included: new police powers to deal with domestic violence including making a breach of a non-molestation order a criminal offence, with a 5-year prison penalty; making common assault an arrestable offence; and stronger legal protection for victims by extending the use of restraining orders. A children's charity said a legal loophole would continue to allow abusive parents unsupervised contact with their children following separations.
Source: Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill [HL], Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 14 June 2004, columns 536-616, TSO | Press release 14 June 2004, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (0207 825 2500)
Links: Text of Bill | Hansard | Home Office press release | NSPCC press release | HOC Library research paper 1 (pdf) | HOC Library research paper 2 (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jun
A report said that vulnerable women and children were missing out on the legal protection that could help them escape abusive husbands and fathers, because of failures in the provision of legal aid.
Source: Family Misfortunes: Challenges facing publicly funded legal advice, Citizens Advice (020 7833 2181)
Links: Citizens Advice press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-May
A think-tank report said there were dangers in introducing a 'rigid system' to deal with the wide range of domestic violence offences, and suggested an alternative, more flexible approach.
Source: Alicia Collinson, Tough Love: A critique of the Domestic Violence, Crime, & Victims Bill 2003, Policy Exchange (020 7340 2650)
Links: Summary
Date: 2004-Apr
Research indicated the 'notable and positive benefits' of specialist domestic violence courts and fast-track systems.
Source: Dee Cook, Mandy Burton, Amanda Robinson and Christine Vallely, Evaluation of Specialist Domestic Violence Courts/Fast Track Systems, Crown Prosecution Service (020 7796 8000) and Department for Constitutional Affairs
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Mar
A survey of people aged 16-59 in Northern Ireland found that 14 per cent of respondents claimed to have been victims of domestic violence at some time in their lives, with females (16 per cent) experiencing a higher victimisation rate than males (11 per cent). A greater proportion of those aged 16-29 (17 per cent) claimed to have been victims of domestic violence than those aged 30-59 (13 per cent). Protestant respondents (16 per cent) were more likely to have experienced domestic violence than Catholic respondents (12 per cent).
Source: Rob Freel and Edel Robinson, Experience of Domestic Violence in Northern Ireland: Findings from the 2001 Northern Ireland Crime Survey, Research and Statistical Bulletin 1/2004, Northern Ireland Office (028 9052 0700)
Links: Report (pdf) | NIO press release
Date: 2004-Mar
A study of 400 domestic violence offences and their perpetrators, mostly men, discovered that at least 70 per cent of those who had physically assaulted their partners had a criminal history.
Source: Laura Richards, Getting Away With It : Strategic overview of domestic violence sexual assault and serious incident analysis, Metropolitan Police (020 7230 1212)
Links: Report (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Mar
A report presented key findings from published research on the relationship between alcohol and intimate partner violence. Alcohol abuse was common among perpetrators of violence against their partner, and problem drinking predicted intimate partner violence over time. Alcohol was likely to contribute to intimate partner violence in a variety of ways. Levels of consumption related to the likelihood and severity of violence. Alcohol appeared to be particularly important in escalating existing conflict.
Source: Andrea Finney, Alcohol and Intimate Partner Violence: Key findings from the research, Research Findings 216, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Findings (pdf)
Date: 2004-Mar
Consultation began on sentencing policy in cases where provocation reduced a charge of murder to a conviction for manslaughter, particularly where the offence arose in a domestic context.
Source: Consultation Paper on Sentencing of Manslaughter by Reason of Provocation, Sentencing Advisory Panel (020 7035 5158)
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | SAC press release
Date: 2004-Mar
The government announced new measures to protect children in domestic violence cases. Family courts would have to consider not only the harm a child suffered from violence in the home but also the harm the child might suffer from witnessing or hearing violence on another person.
Source: Press release 5 March 2004, Department for Constitutional Affairs (020 7210 8500)
Links: DCA press release
Date: 2004-Mar
A report said that the Crown Prosecution Service should strongly consider implementing policies and procedures to encourage and facilitate the use of domestic violence expert witness testimony in the prosecution of cases that called for such evidence.
Source: Michelle Dempsey, The Use of Expert Witness Testimony in the Prosecution of Domestic Violence, Crown Prosecution Service (020 7796 8000)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Mar
A report found that the police were recording fewer than half of all crimes of domestic violence reported to them, and only 11 per cent of those lead to a conviction. It said that in many cases policies were not matched on the ground by effective responses and solid investigative practice. Priority given to domestic violence locally was variable and depended heavily upon local initiatives and commitments.
Source: Violence at Home: Joint inspection on the investigation and prosecution of cases involving domestic violence, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (01527 882000) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | ACPO press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Feb
The Director of Public Prosecutions said that he would personally review all criminal cases involving 'sudden infant death syndrome' that had yet to come to trial. This followed a decision by the Court of Appeal to quash the convictions of Angela Cannings for the murder of her two children, based on new evidence that the children might have inherited a genetic flaw which contributed to their deaths.
Source: Press release 20 January 2004, Crown Prosecution Service (020 7796 8000) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 20 January 2004, columns 1215-1223, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: CPS press release | Hansard | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jan