POLICE Scotland has been accused of failing to protect women from violent and abusive partners and ex-partners.
The accusation came from Broadly – VICE’s women’s website – after a Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that six women had been killed by a partner or ex in Scotland between 2016 and 2017, despite having previously reported their threatening behaviour.
Broadly said previous data it had uncovered revealed 49 deaths in similar circumstances in the UK in the same period, apart from the Scottish figures.
Laura Richards, from anti-stalking charity Paladin, told the website: “It’s extremely concerning that six women contacted police for protection and reported threatening behaviour to Police Scotland before they were killed by their (ex) partner.
“Often … threats to kill made by stalkers are not taken seriously. We know through research that one in two of domestic stalkers, when they make a threat, will act on it and that many perpetrators are serial.
“Training to identify and manage risk is vital and serial stalkers and domestic abusers should be included on the same register as sex offenders. This will save lives and money.”
Broadly and Paladin are releasing the data as part of a continuing campaign aimed at letting stalking and domestic abuse victims be heard. The campaign – Unfollow Me – also supports the charity’s calls for a “Stalkers Register” in the UK.
Broadly asked Police Scotland how many women had reported an abusive partner, ex-partner, or stalker for such behaviour and had gone on to be killed by them.
They supplied data on six domestic murders where female victims had previously contacted police about the perpetrator. All involved suspected physical, verbal, sexual, or financial abuse by partners or ex-partners.
Between 2015-2016, three women were killed after reporting their partner or ex-partner’s behaviour to Police Scotland. One woman was similarly killed between 2016-2017 and two more between 2017-2018.
Bethany Haines, from Perth, daughter of murdered aid worker David Haines, was in an abusive relationship in her late teens with Andrew Murray, who monitored her phone and social media accounts.
He forced her to unfriend around 50 male contacts on Facebook and stalked her for six months after their relationship ended.
Murray also tore up a scrapbook dedicated to her father who was killed by Daesh in Syria in 2014.
In October last year, Murray was sentenced to 21 months in jail and given a five-year non-harassment order that prevented him from contacting Haines.
However, the sentence was overturned on appeal earlier this year, after a judge deemed it excessive, instead ordering him to perform 200 hours of unpaid community work.
“I ended up walking out of the courtroom before the end of the hearing because I couldn’t listen to it,” said Haines. “I was completely distraught.”
She feared that Murray would eventually kill her, and said she could easily have ended up as a domestic murder victim.
During their relationship, she used an emergency code to text her mother when the abuse was particularly bad.
She said: “I’d wake up one morning not knowing if it was going to be a good day, or if I was going to be battered.
“Even to this day it’s scary, because I don’t know if he’s around the corner, or 20 miles away.”
Police Scotland said it was committed to protecting victims of domestic abuse.
“Tackling and preventing domestic abuse is a priority for Police Scotland and, working with partner agencies, we are committed to providing protection and support for victims and their families,” said Detective Superintendent Gordon McCreadie.
“We have a clear risk assessment and escalation process following all reports of domestic abuse and stalking and harassment. We are proactively working to reduce the number of domestic incidents including domestic homicides. This includes reviewing incidents and working with partners to design and implement a multi-agency domestic homicide review process to further inform our commitment to keeping the people of Scotland safe from risk of harm.”
Haines said she was still frightened now that Murray’s sentence has been overturned: “I get up in the middle of the night to check if the door is locked.
“I worry about walking to college. It’s always in the back of your mind that something else could happen.”
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