A Bit of Domestic Violence

[spen666]

The media are having a field day with case of Caroline Flack today, but it raises a wider issue re DV.

In this case Victim calls police saying D is attacking her.

Police attend, D is still agitated& aggressive, V has injuries.

D is arrested and taken to police station.

Police get a first account from V, interview Dand charge them with common assault

V now refuses to make a statement or support a prosecution.


CPS in accordance with along standing policy intend to carry out a victimless prosecution, using 999 call, police body cam evidence of state of D and V when they arrive.


My concern is this policy of insisting on prosecution even when V doesnt want it going to potentially backfire.

The idea is to endure violent/ abusive partners dont get away with it and to protect potentially intimidated or scared Vs

My worry is that V may be less willing to call 999 if they know D will be prosecuted, leading to D continuing to abuse V and potentially killing V over time..

Very often V simply wants assault to stop and D to be taken from scene so all can calm down.

[Redcard]

V should grow a pair, not call the police . He should have walked out the door and told her he will be back when she calms down.

[spen666]

V should grow a pair, not call the police . He should have walked out the door and told her he will be back when she calms down.

You are missing the point or are assuming V is always a Male and able to get away.

This is a far wider point than the headline case


In addition, no one irrespective of gender should suffer DV and telling victim to growa pair is really missing g the point. Would you tell an alleged rape victim it's their fault?

[Long slender neck]

How will the aggressor ever learn unless prosecuted?

[Thor]

Correct PW.

I know someone who hit his wife, the police were called, she didn't want to press charges the police went ahead and prosecuted him. He went to prison. They are still together and I don't think it's ever happened since.

You can't go around whacking people and expect to get away with it.

[Harlow]

Why should anyone feel they have the right to be violent to their partner/ family

[eagwgw]

The young guys protestations of love seem a bit over-blown. They had been going out less than a year. Not that this is any excuse really, a domestic where he had to call the police for his own safety is a bit of a red line for any relationship.

I would guess that money is involved here. If Flack got convicted that would be her career over, if she got cleared eventually it would be forgotten as if nothing happened. So an offer could be pretty large considering potential lost earnings. The guy does the needful now, and signs an NDA. He might lose some respect but he will be set up for life. That seems to be the option taken by the previous guy.

Perhaps NDAs should be done away with in situations like this? Several high-profile wrong-uns would have been caught earlier had they not been able to buy people's silence.

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

The young guys protestations of love seem a bit over-blown. They had been going out less than a year. Not that this is any excuse really, a domestic where he had to call the police for his own safety is a bit of a red line for any relationship.

I would guess that money is involved here. If Flack got convicted that would be her career over, if she got cleared eventually it would be forgotten as if nothing happened. So an offer could be pretty large considering potential lost earnings. The guy does the needful now, and signs an NDA. He might lose some respect but he will be set up for life. That seems to be the option taken by the previous guy.

Perhaps NDAs should be done away with in situations like this? Several high-profile wrong-uns would have been caught earlier had they not been able to buy people's silence.

Set up for life?

I don't know the parties involved but she doesn't earn that sort of dosh, does she?

[Disoriented]

The young guys protestations of love seem a bit over-blown. They had been going out less than a year. Not that this is any excuse really, a domestic where he had to call the police for his own safety is a bit of a red line for any relationship.

I would guess that money is involved here. If Flack got convicted that would be her career over, if she got cleared eventually it would be forgotten as if nothing happened. So an offer could be pretty large considering potential lost earnings. The guy does the needful now, and signs an NDA. He might lose some respect but he will be set up for life. That seems to be the option taken by the previous guy.

Perhaps NDAs should be done away with in situations like this? Several high-profile wrong-uns would have been caught earlier had they not been able to buy people's silence.

Set up for life?

I don't know the parties involved but she doesn't earn that sort of dosh, does she?

Probably, which is symptomatic of the madness of the times we live in.

[Thor]

She earns £1.2m per year for that island program she does. That's without anything else she might do.

The NDA has been used several times in her private life apparently. There is a reason for it and if you follow the crumbs it's pretty easy to work out what it is. All her relationships last a similar amount of time, which was predetermined as well alledegly.

Shame she should just be herself, but that I guess goes against what shes trying to sell herself as to the public.

[Disoriented]

Nobody deserves to be lamped.

[spen666]

How will the aggressor ever learn unless prosecuted?

That is part of CPS / Police thinking


The other side is the fear it will put V off reporting an ongoing incident because they dont want D prosecuted....

Imagine a scenario. D is generally a good partner, provides well for V and kids, but occasionally is aggressive after a drink.

If D is prosecuted he will lose his job, and as a result V and family will go from being well off to relying on benefits. So if D is prosecuted, V and family end up suffering

If V doesnt report attack, because of fear of this, then D isnt arrested, and V continues to suffer violence

[Currywurst and Chips]

Can't impose conditions without the arrest

[LittleMate]

V should grow a pair, not call the police . He should have walked out the door and told her he will be back when she calms down.

She lamped him whilst he was asleep!

If a celebrity man did this to his partner then there would be a far bigger fuss being made about domestic violence.

[Redcard]

Spen, we are not talking about rape victims, we are discussing a man being belted by a woman.
Did he really need to involve the police?. He regrets it now, so the answer must be no.

[Long slender neck]

Not her first victim allegedly, so yes perhaps he did need to involve the police. Unless you are saying violent people should be able to do as they please?

[spen666]

Spen, we are not talking about rape victims, we are discussing a man being belted by a woman.
Did he really need to involve the police?. He regrets it now, so the answer must be no.

Do rape victims need to involve police?

Do victims of burglary need to involve police?


You seem to be saying victims of domestic violence should just put up with the beatings.

The fact that after the event a victim no longer wants to support a prosecution doesnt mean they have to put up with being assaulted

[Mick McQuaid]

Correct me if I'm wrong, and i'm sure you will, but my understanding is there is nothing in law that places any onus on a victim to 'press charges' for any crime or any method which any member of the public, involved in the case ir not, can object to an investigation taking place. If there is evidence of a crime police can and as upheld by the supreme court should investigate any crime which may amount to an article 3 breach.

I accept it might make an investigation more difficult if a witness or victim doesnt wish to cooperate but if there is other evidence then it is solely a police decision on whether to investigate.

Unfortunately i come into regular contact with plod theough work and in practice it seems their starting point is a wish to get the NFA stamp out as soon as possible, including asking vulnerable people if they want to press charges and taking any hesitation as a no.

[Redcard]

Spen, you seem to have some difficulty concentrating on the incident which is the subject matter of this post. Stop trying to broaden the discussion to rapists or burglars. I am not suggesting that all victims of domestic violence should put up with beatings , only that in this case perhaps it was unnecessary to involve the police , a decision he now regrets.

[Millennial Snowflake]

Have you even read what happened? The guy called the emergency services as he was bleeding badly from the head.

Who the f*** reads someone’s texts while they’re asleep and then smashes them over the head with a lamp. What a f*cking psycho

[Long slender neck]

And pleading not guilty is a piss take. Should throw the book at her.

[one o in huntingdon]

I worked with a bloke who was the victim of domestic abuse from his missus
No laughing matter, sounds very similar she hit him with a Pyrex casserole dish when he was asleep.
Also attacked him with one of those double hand operated whisks, blades have sharp edges and he had some nasty facial cuts

In the end he left her, maybe she should have been nicked, but he was too embarrassed to do much about it

[spen666]

Spen, you seem to have some difficulty concentrating on the incident which is the subject matter of this post. Stop trying to broaden the discussion to rapists or burglars. I am not suggesting that all victims of domestic violence should put up with beatings , only that in this case perhaps it was unnecessary to involve the police , a decision he now regrets.

Thanks for telling me what the subject of my post is.

Given I started the thread, I think I know what my subject was, unlike you it seems.

My post was not about Caroline Flack, it was a wider post about DV Prosecution Policy and unwanted consequences

[spen666]

Correct me if I'm wrong, and i'm sure you will, but my understanding is there is nothing in law that places any onus on a victim to 'press charges' for any crime or any method which any member of the public, involved in the case ir not, can object to an investigation taking place. If there is evidence of a crime police can and as upheld by the supreme court should investigate any crime which may amount to an article 3 breach.

I accept it might make an investigation more difficult if a witness or victim doesnt wish to cooperate but if there is other evidence then it is solely a police decision on whether to investigate.

Unfortunately i come into regular contact with plod theough work and in practice it seems their starting point is a wish to get the NFA stamp out as soon as possible, including asking vulnerable people if they want to press charges and taking any hesitation as a no.

Article 3 of what?

[spen666]

Spen off again - another pendantic disagreement - enjoy it - it turns him on

Nice to see you can't wait to turn another thread into an attack on me that has nothing to do with he topic of the thread

I'm sure most of the others on the board don't want to see every thread ruined by your rantings against me.

Why not try to keep on topic instead of turning every thread into a personal attack?