Elizabeth Matfin Solicitor and Collaborative Lawyer

This post will take a few minutes to read – but the information could help protect you or someone you love 🔽

Did you know you can ask the police about a partner's history❓

The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme is an important piece of safeguarding legislation introduced in 2014 following the tragic death of Clare Woods.

Clare was murdered by her partner who had a history of violence against women. Clare wasn’t aware of this and at the time of her murder, the law didn’t allow her to find out or be told anything about his past.

Following her death Clare’s father ran a campaign to change this. He believed that if she’d been made aware of the risk to her safety, she would have been in a position to choose to leave the relationship and ultimately save her own life.

This resulted in the introduction of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, which quickly became known as Clare's Law.

The scheme has two parts – the right to ask and the right to know:

The right to ask: Clare’s Law allows you to contact the police and ask if they know if your partner, or a family member or friend’s partner has a history of violence. This is the right to ask.

The right to know: The legislation also allows the police to proactively tell you about a person’s history if they become aware that you’re in a relationship with someone who has a history of violence and they think you might be at risk.

If you’re concerned that your partner, or the partner of a loved one or family member may have a violent history and has the potential to be violent again, you can speak to the police by calling 101 and quoting Clare’s Law.

If you prefer, you can call in to your local police station, or speak to an officer on the street.

When someone contacts the police under Clare’s Law, we’ll collect some information and carry out an assessment. This is so we can see if there is an immediate risk to you or your friend or family member’s safety.

Before we disclose any information about someone’s past, we’ll do some checks to confirm the identity of the person who is making the enquiry, what their concerns are, and why they are making an application.

We’ll also consider:
• the level of risk to the partner
• the level of risk to the person asking for the check (if they are not the partner)
• whether there are children involved
• what information we actually hold
• whether it is necessary, lawful and appropriate for us to make a disclosure in order to safeguard a person from harm

We may also link in with other agencies who hold information that would help us to assess the possible risks and decide on disclosure.

These checks are important because we have to balance privacy with the potential risk to a person’s safety.

When the checks are completed, we’ll then make the decision on whether disclosure can be made, and who it can be made to.

If there is information to disclose to you we can arrange for an independent domestic abuse support worker to be involved. They can provide support regarding any decisions you, or the person at risk may want to make about their future.

If we decide that we’re not in a position to make a disclosure to you, we’ll let you know of this decision.

If you’re living in fear of violence, or you think a friend or family member is, please get help.

You can make a report to police on 101 or in an emergency always dial 999.

If you don’t want to involve the police, that doesn't mean help isn’t available to you.

If you don’t want to speak to the police, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or report via the Crimestoppers website.

Independent Domestic Abuse Service (IDAS): Victims of domestic abuse can contact IDAS via their helpline number: 0300 110 110 or the national 24/7 helpline on 0808 2000 247

Supporting Victims in North Yorkshire - They offer a wide range of support for anyone affected by crime, including immediate practical support and referral onto emotional and therapeutic support services such as counselling.

Call 01609 643100 (Mon-Fri 9am - 5pm) or search 'Supporting Victims North Yorkshire' online. ☎️

***If you are suffering like the victim in this case, you must get help. Please do not live in fear. There are organisations that can help. Some useful links at the end of the post ***

A Selby man has been jailed for two years and ten months after pleading guilty to a charge of controlling and coercive behaviour, at York Crown Court.

Benjamin Robert Dobson, 29, of Cherry Tree Court, was also issued with a restraining order for an indefinite period.

He was also charged with two counts of assault and false imprisonment but these were allowed to remain on file.

His victim’s ordeal began in 2018 and for over two years she lived in fear of Dobson as he controlled her friendship groups, controlled her finances, made threats to harm her family members, destroyed her property, told her how to dress and in one incident told her he had 10 people to “finish her off”.

At one point he took her to a remote location where he said to her “if you think your ex was bad, I’m going to f****** kill you”, told here that he had “dug a hole for her”.

Detective Constable Pete Wilson of York CID, said: “Dobson caused his victim to live in absolute terror for years. As with most cases of this nature, she was terrified of his control over her. He tried to undermine both her and police investigation throughout, breaching court orders put in place to protect her, and only admitting his guilt at the last minute.

“Our thanks go to the victim who has shown great courage in taking the case to court. It takes immense bravery to come forward and make a formal complaint but anyone who suffering in this way, must do so. We really cannot express how important it is for other victims of abuse to come forward and speak to us. Living in such fear of another person is completely wrong and unacceptable. Nobody should have to live like this.”

Police Staff Investigator Amy Fenwick, who worked jointly on the case, added: “This was a long a complex investigation and I cannot praise the victim enough for her courage in coming forward. Now that the case has concluded, I sincerely hope it allows her some degree of closure and that she can put a horrendous time in her life behind her.”

The police are here to help you 24 hours a day 7 days a week and have specially trained officers and can also put you in touch with other agencies who can provide support and advice. If you are under threat and it is an emergency dial 999. If it is not an emergency, and you want to make a report to police dial 101.

If you are unable to speak you can use the Silent Solution system by pressing 55. Please listen to the call handler's questions and tap or cough when instructed so they can determine that it is not a hoax call and that help is genuinely required. When prompted by the call handler, press 55 and you will be connected to the police.

📞Support and advice

Phone and online support for victims of domestic abuse - North Yorkshire Police | North Yorkshire Police

IDAS – Independent Domestic Abuse Services

IDAS is the largest specialist charity in Yorkshire supporting people affected by domestic abuse and s*xual violence.

They are continuing to their North Yorkshire Helpline, which offers advice and support to anyone experiencing abuse and violence – 03000 110 110

They have also pledge to provide other forms of support such as online video support, WhatsApp messaging, support via phone and email and have extended their live online chat via their website.

From Wednesday 1 April, their Live Chat service will run from 3-6pm Monday – Friday. Additionally, the team will run a chat dedicated to answering questions from professionals, agencies and workers from 10am – 12 noon on weekdays.

Visit www.idas.org.uk for more information.

Supporting Victims in North Yorkshire

Supporting Victims can provide support for anyone affected by crime, whether reported or not, including victims, bereaved relatives, parents or guardians of victims under 18 and members of staff where a business has been a victim of crime.

They can also provide a range of practical and emotional support, but if necessary can also help you access support provided by other organisations.

Their phone lines are open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm and they can be contacted on 01609 643100. You can also visit their website www.supportingvictims.org

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Oh dear! This would be a nightmare 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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Although in Ireland, this is good news for victims of coercive control. I've met many clients (male and female) who have been in these highly toxic relationships and the damage to their confidence, self-esteem and self-worth is enduring.

https://www.rte.ie/news/courts/2021/0121/1191169-coercive-control-court/

This App Helps Domestic Violence Victims Collect the Evidence Needed to Charge Their Abusers In one state, 80% of domestic violence cases are dismissed, often due to lack of evidence. This app will help change that.

The road ahead.

Message from the President of the Family Division: The Road Ahead 2021 Find out more in Sir Andrew McFarlane's message

Maybe next year.. 😂

Hello! Who am I?!

Well I'm Elizabeth. I am a specialist family Solicitor and Collaborative Lawyer with over 18 years experience in all aspects of family law including divorce, separation, children matters.

In addition, I am also experienced in dealing with dispute resolution work.

Prior to my work with Nexa Law, I worked at a medium sized regional law firm where I headed up the family law department. Before that I was a partner at a high street law firm. I am now a Consultant lawyer with a national firm which I have chosen to ensure I keep a smaller caseload to deliver the best service to my clients.

I always offer a free initial chat so that you can tell me about your situation and I can give you some initial advice about your options and costs, without any obligation.

I understand how intimidating and frightening it can be to get in touch with a lawyer especially if you have never used one before but I am very down to earth and friendly and will always have your best interests at heart.

Feel free to message me or email [email protected] to arrange your chat in complete confidence.

Yep! 😂😂

If you need advice on any aspect of family law, email me [email protected] to arrange a free no obligation chat.

Spotted this this morning! How lawyers think! 😄 Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄😄

Happy Birthday to this classic student case! 😄

Every relationship has its ups and downs.

Arguments and disagreements are all part of being in a relationship. But what are the signs that a relationship has become an abusive?

Everyone deserves to be respected in their relationship. Partners should feel able to speak openly about their thoughts and opinions and feel valued. Any decisions that are made in the relationship should be made fairly, equally and with the input of both people. There should be care, kindness and trust between each person involved and nobody should feel pressured into doing anything they don’t want to.

Some signs that a relationship has become abusive are:

• Communication becomes abusive and violent. Conversations become heated and turn to screaming, with threats and insults being used
• If your partner disregards you thoughts, feeling or opinions – or even jeopardises your personal safety
• If your partner controls you with threats of violence or even their mood or behaviour
• If your partner tries to isolate you and won’t allow you to see your friends and family
• If you are reluctant to tell your partner how you feel about something, for fear of their reaction
• If your partner is cruel and is deliberately unkind to you
• If your partner is jealous of you spending time with other people and consistently checks up on you, asking where you are or when you are coming home
• If your partner forces you to have s*x or s*xual contact and your s*xual relationship is dictated to you by them.
• If your partner uses threats of violence either prior to or during s*x, or forces you to have s*x with other people
• If your partner takes away or checks through your phone, or denies you access to transport
• If your partner consistently lies to you, or tries to blame you for their actions or violence

If you recognise some of these behaviours, it may be that you are in an abusive relationship and may want to consider reaching out and speaking to someone for help and support.

If you are fearful for your safety, contact police on 101 and report it to us. If you are in immediate threat of harm always dial 999 and we will respond to you.

If you are not ready to contact the police, you can seek advice and support from IDAS - www.IDAS.org.uk - or Supporting Victims in North Yorkshire – www.supportingvictims.org.

The most important thing is to not stay silent. Reach out to stop the abuse.

Anyone else? 🤣

Love being part of an amazing team at Nexa Law ! So grateful for this lovely Christmas suprise that has just appeared! Thank you! 💚

A helpful guide to the three tiers.

The increasing lockdown restrictions are impacting victims and survivors of domestic abuse with perpetrators behaviour becoming more violent and victims experiencing additional isolation.

IDAS have delivered an uninterrupted service, our helplines and refuges have continued to operate in line with government guidelines, supporting thousands of people affected by domestic abuse.

We have increased capacity on our helplines and extended our Live Chat times, we have mobilised volunteers to put up hundreds of posters to let people know that support is available and moved support groups online. We have also worked with partners to establish a new housing project in Sheffield to provide emergency accommodation for people with complex needs, men, and LGBT+ people.

We are now responding to a steep increase in referrals and helpline calls from victims, professionals and concerned friends and family members.

Our support is crucial and for many life changing:

“'Thank you for all your help, you saved mine & my children lives, we wouldn't be living the life we are without your support”

“I have finally learnt how to accept what has happened in the past and to move on with my life. It is hard work every day, but I will never go back”

True! 🤣🤣🤣

Definitely true! 🤣📦

I have just seen this post by a desperate lady muddling through private children proceedings, now facing a Finding of Fact hearing with her ex and trying to learn how to cross-examine him by asking for help on Facebook.

This saddens me so much. So many people who cannot afford representation trying to represent themselves in family proceedings. Possibly also facing cross-examination by an experienced lawyer (if their partner has the means to pay) or their ex, and then having to attempt it themselves with an ex-partner that may have been for example, dominant, abusive, arrogant and/or controlling. Not to mention the practical preparation of documents, bundles, skeleton arguments etc.

I empathise with the Court staff and Judges trying their best to help them through.

I know so much if this has been said before in defence of legal aid in family proceedings but it just feels so wrong that people, and more importantly children's lives are put in this position.

How can the parties feel confident about a fair outcome and in particular, how can the poor child that is caught up in the middle of it all, be properly protected?

Definitely me! 😩🤣

This is so true! 🤣