Are you being kept in the dark?

In the celebrated 1994 movie, Forrest Gump memorably said "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." I wonder how many of our readers have unwittingly picked a hard centre and broken a tooth on a regrettable personal relationship? More than will ever admit, particularly where violence is concerned.

Women, on average, are assaulted 35 times before they seek help and that's if they are lucky enough to survive. 50% of women who are murdered, and 25% of female suicides in this country are directly attributable to their current or ex male partner.

The lack of survivors' willingness to talk about their suffering protects perpetrators too, inadvertently allowing them to move on to another innocent victim unfettered by record or reputation.

I've spoken about domestic abuse before in this column, and in Parliament, following 23 years as a legal aid family solicitor. This week I believe a significant breakthrough may have taken place, in our home county, where Kent Police are taking a pro-active stance on the point. They have produced a list of 389 men and 36 women who are known serial offenders in Kent to allow officers to warn others who may be at risk.

This development follows a campaign by the father of a young lady called Clare Wood who was strangled in 2009 by an ex-boyfriend she had met through Facebook. He had three previous convictions for stalking and had kidnapped a previous girlfriend at knifepoint - a history that was known to the authorities but not to Clare.

The police already have powers to disclose certain information where there is a clear need to prevent further crime. I am very glad our officers in Kent now have an effective, relevant database and a policy more focussed upon the potential need to disclose.

This is a significant step forward whilst we await progress from the recent Home Office consultation on possible further powers of disclosure. I look forward to engaging in that debate.

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