Councillors have been urged to make changes following the tragic death of a beloved mother-of-four who was killed by her partner. The 53-year-old woman referred to as Pam, passed away in August 2019. Her partner, deemed unfit to stand trial due to a health condition, was found responsible for Pam's death by a jury and received an indefinite hospital order.
The circumstances surrounding the tragedy were discussed during a meeting of the adults and health committee as part of the domestic homicide review. The primary objective of the review is to identify the lessons that can be leaned, particularly concerning the ways professionals and organisations can work individually and collaboratively to safeguard victims.
Expressing their condolences to Pam's family, Jill Rhodes, committee chair at Cheshire East Council, emphasised the importance of learning from the incident and striving to prevent future tragedies.
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During the meeting, Jill Broomhall, the director of adults and social care at the council, said Pam had a history of alcohol abuse and domestic abuse from previous partners. The perpetrator suffered from Huntington's disease, a hereditary neurological brain disorder. While the perpetrator was known to adult social care, Pam was not.
The review report documented various instances of domestic abuse where the police were involved, although Pam chose not to pursue the matter further. Both Pam and the perpetrator failed to attend medical and care appointments.
Councillor Stewart Gardiner raised concerns about the possibility of preventing the unfortunate outcome in this case. He acknowledged the existence of missed opportunities and questioned whether it was justified to remove someone living a "chaotic" lifestyle, like Pam, from the system simply due to missing a couple of medical appointments.
He also criticised the criminal justice system for its failure to adequately address the needs of individuals in vulnerable relationships. He called for a review of the system to override the requirement for victims to bring forth allegations against their abusers.
Councillor Nicola Cook highlighted the apparent missed opportunities in focusing on the perpetrator's behaviour with the aim of putting an end to the abuse. She stressed the need for improved information sharing, particularly with adult social services, to ensure comprehensive support for individuals like Pam.
Councillor Cook stated: "The report outlines that whenever someone exposes domestic abuse they should be believed and supported. The review highlights a number of these moments that were missed... I would hope the recommendations in this report, when fully implemented, may change the way domestic abuse victims and perpetrators are supported in the future."
Councillor Janet Clowes emphasised the significance of effectively managing and dealing with the perpetrator as a means of supporting the victim. She highlighted the failure of various agencies to engage promptly and effectively with domestic violence services, which may have contributed to the situation.
The committee agreed to review the progress made in implementing the lessons learned and to publish the report on the Safer Cheshire East website.
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