Domestic abusers could face life ban from approaching victims under new law

Domestic abusers face being banned for life from approaching their victims under a new law.

Labour will expand powers to enable police and other agencies to impose indefinite bans on abusers making contact with victims under new legally-enforced protection orders.

Abusers can also be restricted from going within a certain distance of their victims or their homes.

They will also be compelled by law to notify police of any name or address change, and face up to five years in jail for any breach of the orders.

The domestic abuse protection orders were previously limited to up to 28 days but Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, will change rules to allow them to last indefinitely if it can be shown to be proportionate and necessary.

The convicted perpetrators may be electronically tagged for up to a year to help enforce the bans.

Ms Cooper has also expanded who can apply to the courts for the orders.

It will now not only be police but also third parties, including councils, charities and social services.

Family and civil courts, as well as criminal courts, will also be able to impose the orders, which cover all domestic abuse including violence, stalking and controlling behaviour.

The orders, which are to be trialled from November, are part of a package of measures aimed at helping Labour achieve its pledge to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.

Ms Cooper is also introducing “Raneem’s law” in memory of Raneem Oudeh, who was murdered by her ex-husband after police missed vital clues and warnings.

Raneem’s law will require forces to have specialist domestic abuse advisers in all their 999 control rooms to ensure officers spot and respond effectively to calls by victims.

Ms Cooper said: “Our mission is for the whole of Government, agencies, organisations and communities to work together to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and today is just one step of many towards tangible and long-lasting change.”

Some 2.1 million people aged 16 and over experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics’ crime survey for England and Wales.

This included 1.4 million women and 751,000 men.

Around 890,000 domestic abuse-related crimes were reported with a conviction rate of 76 per cent for domestic violence.

Repeat abuse is estimated to account for up to 60 per cent of all incidents.

It emerged on Thursday that former actor Jason Hoganson, who was freed early from jail under Sir Keir Starmer’s prisoner release scheme, was back behind bars after allegedly assaulting his former partner.

He had been released early from an 18-month sentence for assaulting the same woman.

Raneem’s law will be introduced to avoid a repeat of the murder of the 22-year-old and her mother Khaola Saleem by Oudeh’s ex-husband in 2018.

There were 13 reports made to the police about concerns for Raneem’s safety and no arrests made.

On the night she was killed, she rang 999 four times.

Specialists in domestic abuse will be embedded in 999 control rooms to advise on risk assessments and work with officers on the ground to ensure that victims get a fast response when needed, and are referred to support services as quickly as possible.

The new approach will be piloted from early 2025.

Ministers also plan to expand pilots where police have offered victims who call 999 access to video calls with trained officers.

The rapid video response scheme means victims can get immediate help rather than waiting for an officer to be sent out, by which time the perpetrator could have returned to the home.

Ms Cooper said: “Failure to understand the seriousness of domestic abuse costs lives and far too many have already been lost.

“That’s why introducing ‘Raneem’s Law’ in memory of Raneem and her mother Khaola is so vital – and has been a personal priority for me.”

Nour Norris, Oudeh’s aunt, said: “Six years ago, when I lost my niece Raneem and sister Khaola, my world fell apart. Their suffering and the way the system failed them is something I will never forget.”

“Knowing that Raneem’s name will now be a source of hope and protection for others fills me with a sense of pride I cannot put into words.

“Raneem’s memory lives on in this law, and it means the world to me to know that her story will help save lives.”