Multiple victims of one violent man - can we do anything?

[Ponyinthepool]

This is my first post, please be gentle.

A few years ago a friend of mine was assaulted by her boyfriend, he gave her a black eye and broke her ribs, puncturing her lung. The state was going to prosecute but ultimately dropped the case because she had changed her statement and there wasn't enough evidence to dispute his claim that he had just pushed her and she had sustained her injuries by falling onto a cast iron drying rack.

We thought it was a one-off, they had been together 5yrs with no previous violence. It has now come to light that he went on to give his next girlfriend a black eye and the next girlfriend after that. These are the only girls I know about, but there are possibly others. They have photographs of their injuries.

Is it worth going back to the police? Would they do anything? I'm concerned that he will continue to attack his partners in future unless something is done. If they dropped a case for lack of evidence the first time, would they pick it up again if other victims come forward?

I'd appreciate any advice you can give.

Its a tricky one for a number of reasons. I'll try to explain why.

If the assaults amount to common assault then they may be barred by time limitations. Summary (=minor) offences can't be prosecuted after 6 months. Black eyes and bruising are common assaults. Others will argue that they can amount to ABH (more serious) but for practical purposes they don't. (i could go into CPS charging standards but we would all lose the will to live.)

Each allegation should stand on its own merits. Lots of weak allegations do not add up to one strong cases. The law on this is very clear, there is tons of case law on this and 'overloading' the inditement is frowned upon by the courts. This also applies to the use of bad character evidence where you could use previous incidents to show a propensity for violence in the current allegation. There are difficult statutory hurdles to clear in order to use bad character evidence.

I can't comment on the strength of each case, you say your friend changed her statement which may or may not be significant. (depends on what she changed and why). I doubt that the cause of her injuries were a significant factor, i push you, you fall and break your leg, in general legal terms i am responsible. Again each case will be different.

If there is any hint of collusion, (however innocent) between the injured parties it may well fatally flaw any prospective conviction. So if you proceed, it is very important that everyone is honest about this and what was discussed etc.

However, clearly this man is presenting a danger to women and things can't just be left to chance. I would make an appointment with your local divisions domestic violence unit. They will have some fancy name like Safeguarding or Public Protection. Try to make it with either the DI or DS on the unit. This may or may not be possible. Ensure that you let them know that its a complicated matter and you will need at least an hour. Go and present what you know in the clearest manner you can. Avoid speculation and exaggeration. They may or may not run with it. (they are generally super busy and will be hesitant to take on a case they feel that they are unable to progress)

It may help to speak to a local womans support group before hand. Nearly all areas have them and they have good relations with the police generally.

I hope i haven't sounded too negative. My negativity in no way condones what is going on, its just my experience on a practical level of what may happen.

Excellent post by get, however I think you would struggle as a third party in getting to see anyone from daiu. Its often mentioned on this board to speak with them, however in most forces it would be normal frontline officers who speak to victims first. They then complete a risk assessment and if the grading is high enough it gets passed on to the specialist units.

That's hugely helpful, thank you both so much.

I wouldn't be going to see anyone myself - all three girls don't speak English as a first language, so I just wanted to get some information for them. I don't really want to get involved, apart from handholding.

I will pass on your very helpful advice - not negative at all Get, just realistic, thank you again.

Did all of them report the assaults to the police? If not then you can encourage them to do so, just because one case fell apart due to lack of evidence doesn't mean they all will. Unfortunately for the first victim, it is unlikely to be revisited after the decision to NFA because these other assaults are not further evidence to hers, and it is unlikely bad character evidence could be used retrospectively

As an aside there are specific domestic abuse agencies for other cultural needs depending on where your friends are from, the police would be able to advise you on that

I'm not an expert. You might be able to ask the police to ensure the previous complaints are on the system, with a view to implementing Clare's Law (the Domestic violence disclosure scheme.) If you get an up-to-date officer, they could possibly advise on building a case against him.

Assuming you're still around his circle, please do make sure the women know about Clare's Law.