Murdered at Home

Yes, that point was made on the programme last night. There are very few cases of women, long abused by their partners, actually killing him, but some do. If the sentence was revised upwards then it would also affect these women. It does seem to me though, that it cannot be beyond the wit of man/woman to frame the law in such a way that prolonged abuse, whether man or woman, can have this taken into account as a mitigating factor.

There was a really interesting discussion on the news about this...the mothers of those poor girls are campaigning for a higher tariff in sentencing.

Under current guidelines now if a woman is stabbed to death with a knife in her own home, the starting point for sentencing is 10 years lower than if the same woman is stabbed to death in the street, with a weapon brought to the scene with intent.

However in a review cases were raised - where a woman who has suffered long term abuse by her partner, grabs a knife from the kitchen drawer and kills him.

She would then potentially be subject to a minimum tariff of the 25 years too. Clare Wade KC and others - not least Harriet Wistrich, founder of the Centre for Women’s Justice - say this uprate in the minimum sentencing could in fact be detrimental to some women.

Oh I missed it 😫

The problem of corroborative evidence also is a factor with adults. With many abusive relationships the abuse begins as coercive control, which gradually becomes more physical. Sadly it then ends with the death of the woman. Of course to be called Domestic Homicide the victim must be sixteen years or older. Those who murder children at home are charged with murder or manslaughter I believe. Iam you might know better as you have more experience in this area I think.

The big problem is the ‘ need’ for corroborative evidence when the alleged victim is a child.
It’s unusual for criminal proceedings when the victim is under the age of 7 because of the (assumed) complexity in evidence gathering and Criminal court hearings.
The family court can find on the balance of probability whereas in crime it’s beyond reasonable doubt.

Kandinsky

It’s absolutely awful - as a mother of two daughters this violence has always worried me, not least because women often keep it hidden or play it down. Until it’s too late.

I can only assume the difference in sentencing is because these men ( so the law thinks? ) are not a risk to the wider general public. It’s ‘domestic’ which to me, puts some of the blame on the victim. you know, well they should have left him, but that’s when women are most at risk, when they try & leave.

That's probably the thinking behind the discrepancy in sentencing, you're right.

Murder is murder, and whatever the circumstances the sentencing should be the same IMO, but if there has to be a differential, it would make sense for those who kill in what is supposed to be a safe space, possibly after years of abuse, to get a higher sentence than those who kill strangers.

Kandinsky please encourage your daughters to tell you if things are wrong in their relationship. As you say, women often keep this hidden.

I’m the mother of one daughter and it has worried me as she is going through an acrimonious divorce at the moment.

It’s absolutely awful - as a mother of two daughters this violence has always worried me, not least because women often keep it hidden or play it down. Until it’s too late.

I can only assume the difference in sentencing is because these men ( so the law thinks? ) are not a risk to the wider general public. It’s ‘domestic’ which to me, puts some of the blame on the victim. you know, well they should have left him, but that’s when women are most at risk, when they try & leave.

I wanted to watch it but as a chronic migraine sufferer the flashing “tonight” sign meant I couldn’t tolerate it. I wish the programme makers would not do this as frequencies can trigger epilepsy too. I’ve never experienced abuse but wanted to understand more about it.

That’s terrible BlueBelle.
I remember a case where a little girl, at school (I was a teacher) told me that (excuse graphic description) he put his thing in my mouth. The judge threw it out because evidence from a five year old was unreliable!

You are right missadventure
I remember going to a trial with a young lady who had been sexually abused throughout her childhood (I know we re talking about murder and this isn’t but it illustrates the court system ) by her step father The case was thrown out because she as a 30 something woman could not remember the dates and times the abuse happened!!! she knew it happened every time her mum was at night work but that wasn’t good enough

A lot of times in these cases, the woman has been to the police and been brushed off, too.

It is a frightening statistic and made all the worse by Police behaviour these days. There has been yet another policeman appearing in court this week accused of 2 counts of rape, one concerning a child. If you are in an abusive relationship then it hardly fills you with any confidence to go and tell the Police.

Oh and I think to be called Domestic Homicide it has to happen in the home, and if a knife is used, it must be a kitchen knife from the home.
To my mind, a woman stabbed multiple times has been murdered! Wherever it happened.

I haven’t seen the programme but I’m aw§are of the high risk to women from many male partners, especially when the women try to end the relationship

Male violence against women and children is not treated seriously enough by the legal system. I’m always puzzled by the hefty sentences in so called white collar crime, alongside to effectively sentence e men who abuse women and children t

I did watch the programme and I knew stranger murder was rarer than domestic murder. It was shocking though listening to the accounts of the mothers speaking of the murder of their daughters, and seeing the pictures of these lovely young women and hearing what happened to them. I was also shocked that it isn’t called murder, it is called Domestic Homicide! And Doodledog s right, there is a ten year difference in the starting point of sentencing. Domestic Homicide attracts a minimum sentence of fifteen years. So apparently Domestic Homicide isn’t murder! It’s where the death of a person aged over sixteen has, or appears to have, resulted from violence, abuse, or neglect, by a person they were related to, or a person they were or had been in an intimate relationship with, or a member of the same household.

Yes the warnings we give young women are wholly inaccurate.

I didn’t watch the programme but it has ever been so throughout time Stranger murder is rarer than domestic murder

I didn’t see the programme, but saw a trailer, and was shocked to learn that the starting point for sentencing when the murderer is known to the victim is ten years lower than if it is a stranger. Whatever for?

I didn’t watch the programme but for some time on average 2 women are murdered by partners/ex partners every week.
In the rare case of women murdering men it is usually because of domestic violence and abuse by their partners. .