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According to a grieving mother, the police’s decision to withhold crucial information about a woman’s husband, who had a history of abuse, played a role in her death.
According to Hilary Stinchcombe, the tragic deaths of her daughter and granddaughter could have been prevented if the police had disclosed the perpetrator’s prior incidents of domestic violence.
The 61-year-old expressed frustration over the lack of information provided to her family regarding her daughter’s killer. The police mistakenly informed them that only a victim of abuse could request a background check.
In May 2018, Christopher Boon fatally stabbed his spouse, Laura Mortimer, and her 11-year-old daughter, Ella Dalby, 42 times in the kitchen of their Gloucester residence.
Clare’s Law, named in honor of 36-year-old murder victim Clare Wood, was utilized by Laura’s family to bring their concerns to the attention of the police. This scheme is designed to address violence against women and was put into action after Clare’s tragic death at the hands of a former boyfriend with a history of violence.
In 2014, a program was launched that allows individuals to inquire with police departments about a person’s past incidents of domestic violence or violent crimes.
Without the family’s knowledge, Boon was given a suspended sentence for physically attacking his ex-partner and her mother in front of two children in 2010.
The Gloucester Police noted that a domestic homicide review and serious case review revealed that Ms Mortimer had been informed by a social worker about her husband’s past incidents of domestic abuse, but she did not seem worried about it.
The investigation of the killings recommended that “social workers receive updated training on recognizing patterns of domestic violence in order to better understand the impact of abuse on Laura and her children and to determine appropriate actions after completing the training.”
According to Ms. Stinchcombe, she finds it appalling that the police did not comprehend the protocol for disclosing domestic abuse. She also stated that had she known about Boon’s prior convictions, she would have prevented him from being near Laura’s children or entering her home.
“She told me that he physically assaulted her on the morning of Boxing Day. As a result, she had to be hospitalized due to a broken nose and black eyes.”
She stated, “My other daughter went to the police station to request a disclosure under Clare’s Law, but they refused. She believed he had past convictions, as someone had mentioned to her, but we were not aware until the court hearing.”
The Independent recently reported that numerous women who are in vulnerable situations are being neglected and put in danger due to the police’s failure to share crucial information about their abusers.
According to the National Police Chiefs’ Council, over half of the 20,226 background check requests for potential domestic abusers were denied between October 2021 and March 2022.
According to Ms Stinchcombe, Boon is a terrible, self-centered, and despicable person who subjected violence and mistreatment onto Laura and would go to extreme lengths to prevent her from seeing her own daughter.
“I remember when she would go out with her friends,” she recounted. “He would call her every five minutes. Even when my daughter went shopping, he would constantly call: ‘How much longer will you be? Where are you? What are you doing?'”
Ms. Stinchcombe stated that thoughts of her daughter and granddaughter’s murder consume her each morning upon waking and each night before going to sleep.
“I was required to recognize them,” she stated. “It was incredibly disturbing. That is why I struggle to sleep at night. I experience recurring memories. Whenever I lay down, I imagine the day when I had to identify their remains.”
She recommended for those facing domestic violence to leave the situation, but not to inform the abuser of their departure. She also encouraged anyone concerned about a family member or friend to request a disclosure through Clare’s Law.
A representative from the Gloucester Police mentioned that the investigation of Laura and Ella’s deaths revealed that the force’s policy for Clare’s Law only allowed for information to be shared with the person in the relationship.
The representative stated that due to the implementation of official government guidelines in 2022, the authorities will now take into account the possibility of sharing information with a specific individual in specific situations.
This piece was revised on January 9, 2024 to mention that a joint investigation of domestic violence and a thorough examination of the case confirmed that Ms. Mortimer was made aware of her husband’s prior history of domestic abuse.
The helpline for domestic abuse in the country provides assistance to women at 0808 2000 247, or you can access the Refuge website. There is a separate helpline for men at 0808 8010 327. For those in the US, the domestic violence hotline is available at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). For other international helplines, please visit www.befrienders.org.
Source: independent.co.uk
