Domestic abuse victims urged to have faith in justice system

Although shocking research shows that women suffer an average of 35 incidents before they report it, even then some are reluctant to come forward either because of intimidation or fear of further abuse if the perpetrator escapes punishment.

But prosecutors insist they can have confidence that justice will be done after seeing almost eight out of every 10 offenders being convicted in the region – way above the national average. Between 2010 and 2011, the Crown Prosecution Service in the Humberside Police area successfully prosecuted 78.2 per cent (1,217) of cases, compared to 71.9 per cent nationally.

Martin Goldman, chief crown prosecutor for Yorkshire and Humberside, said: “The festive period is a notoriously difficult time for those suffering at the hands of their partner, and there may be someone you know who has suffered violence at home in recent weeks.

“I’m keen to ensure every one of those people knows how seriously we take this and how successful we are at prosecuting such cases.

“We’ve exceeded the national average for a number of years now (at least four).

“We have a good track record but all of this is irrelevant unless the incidents are reported.

“Women experience an average of 35 incidents before they report it, if they make it that far.

“But it’s not only men that can be the perpetrators of domestic violence. In 2010-2011 we successfully prosecuted 76 women for attacks on their partners, most of whom were male.”

He added: “If you are suffering domestic violence, don’t wait to see how bad things get and please don’t believe your partner when they tell you it was a one-off or your fault.

“Every week in this country two people lose their lives to domestic violence, so in 2012 we can expect 104 people to lose their life; some of those people may be living amongst us here in Humberside.

“If we give victims of domestic abuse the confidence to report the crimes, or their neighbours to report it for them, lives can be saved.”

The plea comes a fortnight after a man was jailed for seven years for an “horrific” attack on his partner, Jade Pickersgill, 25, in Hull.

David McGovern, 37, attacked her as she lay in bed, beating her unconscious and stamping on her head and face.

He admitted GBH with intent when the case was taken to court.

Dc Phil Pitts, from the Hull public protection unit at Humberside Police, said: “The level of violence used in this incident alone was horrific, but it is even worse when you consider that McGovern was in a relationship with Jade, who trusted and supported him.

“Jade should be commended for her conduct throughout what was a very difficult time. She has shown tremendous strength of character.

“This case underlines that the Humberside Police will not tolerate domestic violence at any level and individuals who are victims of this type of behaviour can be assured that they will be given the full support of the police and our partners such as the Domestic Abuse Partnership.” The rate of successful domestic violence prosecutions still lags behind that for other crimes, however.

According to CPS figures, the success rate for prosecutions of all types of crime over the same period was 85.66 per cent in England and Wales, 85 per cent in Yorkshire and Humberside, and 88.88 per cent in Humberside.

Last November a performance unit at Humberside Police began a review after a surge in domestic violence cases.

There were 2,025 repeat victims between April and October last year, an increase of 22.5 per cent on the same period in 2010.

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