Page 15 - Adult C Overview Report - FINAL

This document was classified as: OFFICIAL

subjected to a significant assault on that occasion. There was a view by some that Adult 1 was

working the situation in order to maintain control and to manipulate the system so that he
was viewed as a victim. DA1 refused a referral for Adult 1 as a victim because of this. This is
not an unusual situation in domestic abuse, where a perpetrator will argue that an assault is
violence against the perpetrator and not of a retaliatory nature. It is further manipulation and
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control by a perpetrator. Several research , articles identify that in domestic abuse, some
victims will retaliate but usually as a way of trying to protect themselves during an abusive
act.

7.16. Retaliated violence is often seen as justified. In this case, Adult C was criminalised and was to
have been tried at court for the offence but Adult 1 did not progress this. The review

identified that police do not have any discretion where a crime has been committed. If they
arrive at an incident and it is clear that an assault has been perpetrated and the victim is
reporting it as such, then the necessary action is taken. This is so as to ensure that the law is
applied equally to all alleged victims. To do otherwise may well result in the police being
criticised for gender bias and also the possibility that male victims do not receive an equitable
service.

7.17. Adult 1 was possibly manipulating the situation in order that he could use the bail conditions
against Adult C. He also was able to exploit this and make complaints to the police when
Adult C was in breach of bail conditions even when it was because he had deliberately gone
to a place where she was.

7.18. There was also discussion within the review regarding the management of perpetrators as a
way of reducing the risk of domestic abuse. Indeed, Adult 1 told the author that he had

wished that he had been able to address his violent behaviour against women earlier.

7.19. Adult 1 as a perpetrator was subject to the sanctions identified in Section 5. There were also
other options open to the police to use Domestic Violence Prevention Notifications and
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Orders to provide sanctions that would keep the couple apart in the immediate aftermath
of incidents. The police indicated in their Agency Review Report that this had also been a

10 Swan S.C. (2008) A Review of Research on Women’s Use of Violence with Male Intimate Partners Violence Vict. 2008 ; 23(3): 301–314.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2968709/pdf/nihms244725.pdf

11 Who is Doing What to Whom? Determining the Core Aggressor in Relationships Where Domestic Violence Exists.
https://www.speakcdn.com/assets/2497/who_is_doing_what_to_whom.pdf

12 Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs) and Domestic Violence Protection Notices (DVPNs) were rolled out from 8 March 2014. DVPOs are
a civil order that fills a “gap” in providing protection to victims by enabling the police and magistrates’ courts to put in place protective measures in
the immediate aftermath of a domestic violence incident where there is insufficient evidence to charge a perpetrator and provide protection to a
victim via bail conditions….. Within 48 hours of the DVPN being served on the perpetrator, an application by police to a magistrates’ court for a DVPO
must be heard. A DVPO can prevent the perpetrator from returning to a residence and from having contact with the victim for up to 28 days. This
allows the victim a degree of breathing space to consider their options with the help of a support agency. Both the DVPN and DVPO contain a
condition prohibiting the perpetrator from molesting the victim.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/575363/DVPO_guidance_FINAL_3.pdf

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