Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Witness Protection - how does it work?

100 replies

HeyJudeNanananana · 02/04/2023 19:56

Just been reading the thread about Thomas Cashman, and it got me thinking about Witness Protection and how it actually works.

Do you get moved to the other side of the country with a new identity? What about jobs etc?

Would your family get told or get to come with you? It must be incredibly difficult!

Yes, I know there is Google, I have had a look but just thought I would put my random Sunday evening ponderings on here.

OP posts:
TheChoiceIsYours · 02/04/2023 22:10

CrotchetyQuaver · 02/04/2023 22:05

Not my experience
A friend of a friend went through immense violence, threats and harassment from her neighbours and others of their culture. She was on witness protection because they were so horrible. She had to leave her lovely village council house, council accepted them as homeless and put her and her family up in one room in a hotel. Then she had to reapply for a new house for a fresh start. She had to battle hard and enlist letters of support from every agency who was supporting her in some way to the MP to get the housing officer to treat her case as an exception to the policy and allow a direct allocation rather than the bid system. My contribution was to study the housing allocation policy and tell her that this was indeed an option and she should pursue it.

I suspect that's more the reality of witness protection schemes than a new life.

That doesn’t sound like full witness protection if she stayed locally and didn’t disappear with a whole new identity.

neilyoungismyhero · 02/04/2023 22:15

AnneShirleysNewDress · 02/04/2023 21:58

I was reading about her the other day. She is a remarkable woman and showed bravery that I hope I'd have in that situation. I hope the woman who helped put away Olivia's killer can also find happiness. Two incredible women.

Show quote history

I read that she had received more death threats than any other person in that County and was being put into WP. She sounded incredibly brave. I have to say, honestly not sure I could do it. The ramifications for the rest of my life and future family plus having to look over my shoulder would be too much to bear.

aliasname · 02/04/2023 22:23

I thought Britain had an exchange program with Australia and Canada and we would sometimes swap witnesses.

GonnaBeYoniThisChristmas · 02/04/2023 22:25

What are your family / friends / colleagues told? They obviously notice you were gone - some sooner than others. Are they told you’re in WP or do they make something up…

Prometheus · 02/04/2023 22:25

TheChoiceIsYours · 02/04/2023 22:08

With the witness in the Cashman case I was wondering about an accent. It’s all very well moving to the south coast or something but hard to shake off a broad scouse accent. Would that matter? Would someone be encouraged to try and change their accent or could their backstory just be that they’re from Liverpool and it wouldn’t matter that it makes them stick out a bit? I find it hard to understand how easy it hard it is to just change your identity and ‘disappear’ within the UK and how much of an impact a broad regional accent could have on that.

For all we’re speculating about the interesting aspects of WP I hope this poor brave lady can make a safe new life for herself and I don’t downplay the seriousness of it all, at all.

Yes I thought that too. She sounds very brave but (coming from Liverpool
myself) it’s likely she looks and sounds very scouse so I would’ve thought that coming up with a backstory for someone like that moving to the outer Hebrides (for example) would be very difficult.

purpleme12 · 02/04/2023 22:27

Following

determinedtomakethiswork · 02/04/2023 22:27

I would want to emigrate. I wouldn't feel safe in this country.

KateAusten · 02/04/2023 22:32

TomHanksIsFuckingAmazing · 02/04/2023 21:16

I once read about a well known case around 25 years ago where the girlfriend of the victim went into witness protection after giving evidence, I won't name her as it feels wrong but you probably know who I'm referring to. I'm sure I read something like she really struggled to rebuild her life but is happy now. I sometimes wonder how she's doing.

This case sprang to mind when I thought about witness protection

KN is a very dangerous man and back out now. I would always feel on edge regardless of a new identity

Somebody will always know where you are, you can't trust the police

TomHanksIsFuckingAmazing · 02/04/2023 22:36

KateAusten · 02/04/2023 22:32

This case sprang to mind when I thought about witness protection

KN is a very dangerous man and back out now. I would always feel on edge regardless of a new identity

Somebody will always know where you are, you can't trust the police

Show quote history

As a PP said I wouldn't feel safe in the UK and would want me and my immediate family in Canada at the very least. Even then I doubt I'd cope with it.

Changedforthis2023 · 02/04/2023 22:37

Many years ago I worked in a safeguarding capacity in a school and the head became suspicious about two new children. Details didn’t sound right and the backstory made no sense. We thought the passports used for admission must be fake and the head started asking the parent some questions. Safeguarding was the concern and we were genuinely worried this was a possible abduction or trafficking situation. Especially when one of the children told us they used to have a different first name. Then we were contacted by specialist police officers who explained that the parent was a protected person. The parent was on benefits and in a council house but we understand this to be better than the situation they were in before witness protection. I’ve always thought they were given a ridiculous name and backstory and surely the police could have done better! Without an explanation for the surname they had, their story was too easy to pick holes in. Those children are long since grown up but the parent went on to have a new relationship and another child with the new partner (and got married) as well as some jobs.

userxx · 02/04/2023 22:38

Justmeandthedog1 · 02/04/2023 21:28

I always think of the boring stuff. NI contributions, are they credited to the new name. What if you have paid into a pension scheme, credit rating and mundane things like insurance no claims you’ve built up.
I think Karen Matthews was moved to near where I used to live. If newspaper reports were to be believed she had a job as a carer. Didn’t seem quite appropriate.

I love this. So practical.

BertaHoon · 02/04/2023 22:42

No family. Maybe basic job. No nothing.

It would be the worst thing to experience.

Nobody is going to put you up in a nice cottage. You'll be in a city where nobody gives a shit about you.

I'd rather be killed by whoever was after me.

BertaHoon · 02/04/2023 22:46

TheChoiceIsYours · 02/04/2023 22:10

That doesn’t sound like full witness protection if she stayed locally and didn’t disappear with a whole new identity.

Show quote history

That's not witness protection.

You are essentially dead going in to WP.

No background, no name, no NI, no nothing. An entire new identity.

BertaHoon · 02/04/2023 22:49

Think about Jon Venables. Completely new identities, but still can't help bigging himself up because he's a child killer.

I think and hope he's back in prison now. He should stay there forever. Tell the inmates who you are, see how hard you are then.

SOCPAc4 · 02/04/2023 23:02

@Justmeandthedog1 they (The NCA) have a team who essentially replicate your life so you’re not financially worse off. So you may not be able to have the same pension pot you had before if you were say a civil servant or teacher but you’d have one of the same value set up. Similarly NI contributions. Most protected persons are at the very least on the fringes of criminality though so may not have a workplace pension etc.

re backstory and names theyd be as similar as possible. Eg the witness in the Cashman trial may move to Birmingham or London or Bristol etc and if people ask she might say she has left an abusive relationship.

like all lies the easiest and best are the closest to the truth.

mybeautifuloak · 02/04/2023 23:04

TomHanksIsFuckingAmazing · 02/04/2023 21:16

I once read about a well known case around 25 years ago where the girlfriend of the victim went into witness protection after giving evidence, I won't name her as it feels wrong but you probably know who I'm referring to. I'm sure I read something like she really struggled to rebuild her life but is happy now. I sometimes wonder how she's doing.

Several people have replied to this comment so its obviously someone people know about but I haven't a clue. Who is this?

Soproudoflionesses · 02/04/2023 23:04

BertaHoon · 02/04/2023 22:42

No family. Maybe basic job. No nothing.

It would be the worst thing to experience.

Nobody is going to put you up in a nice cottage. You'll be in a city where nobody gives a shit about you.

I'd rather be killed by whoever was after me.

I agree

Boomboom22 · 02/04/2023 23:06

You'd have to be so careful with tech now. No school photos etc, nothing online that can be face matched or searched etc.

BertaHoon · 02/04/2023 23:08

Soproudoflionesses · 02/04/2023 23:04

I agree

Show quote history

Ooh good. I do get the fear when I'm emailed to say I've been quoted 🤣

Let's just keep our normal lives eh? Stop messing with the OCGs!

scrivette · 02/04/2023 23:55

I used to work for a pension company and we were contacted by the police as someone had gone into Witness Protection and they had to change the details on the record to the new name. It was only the Head of Service who was allowed to deal with it.

CrotchetyQuaver · 03/04/2023 00:23

It appears there are different levels of witness protection, some stop once the trial is concluded, then there are the ones where it is lifelong with a change of identity in the most serious cases.

CatherineCawoodsScarf · 03/04/2023 16:43

Most protected persons are at the very least on the fringes of criminality though so may not have a workplace pension etc.

I love this sentence. Hopefully they’ll have an ISA if nothing else.

What happens if you’re mega rich (legally) and witness something? Do they just tell you to move and hire your own security?

NotAnotherBathBomb · 03/04/2023 18:46

You’re reading too deeply into this comment 🙄

NotAnotherBathBomb · 03/04/2023 18:47

Downtown123 · 02/04/2023 20:11

What a horrible comment. You really wouldn’t want to witness a crime where you need witness protection. I knew a family who had to escape as they had witnessed someone being murdered and they weren’t involved in any of it. They tried to help but unfortunately they had died. The family that was left behind were still being harassed and threatened years later. The person had to start from the bottom it destroyed their life.

Show quote history

Honestly Mumsnet is so irritating losing quotes posts. Take 2. You are reading too deeply into this comment

Soproudoflionesses · 03/04/2023 22:13

BertaHoon · 02/04/2023 23:08

Ooh good. I do get the fear when I'm emailed to say I've been quoted 🤣

Let's just keep our normal lives eh? Stop messing with the OCGs!

Show quote history

Haha me too!!!
God yeah much rather have a normal life

Swipe left for the next trending thread