Up and down the country specialist domestic violence courts have been set up to deal with the huge volume of domestic abuse cases that come through the door. From physical assault to harassment and stalking, the sheer number of cases brought before judges and magistrates for attacks deemed to be of a domestic nature is astonishing.
Whether this be through partner relationships, parental, siblings, there appears to be a never-ending list of such crimes that need to be dealt with. The number of arrests involving abuse-related offences in the year ending March 2022 totals 18,909 according to data by the Office for National Statistics.
We spent a month in a dedicated domestic violence court in Swansea Magistrates' Court to understand the types of cases that are meeting the prosecution threshold and document the prevalence of these types of crimes.
Read more: The sickening domestic abuse epidemic gripping Wales by those who survived
In Swansea, the majority of cases considered to be domestic violence [DV] were heard on Tuesdays. In order to track these, we sat in the court and attempted to take notes on as many cases as we could, or if we were unable to attend a specific case for some reason (I.e a high-profile case we needed to cover being held in a different courtroom) we liaised with the court staff to take note of the result.
What we found was staggering. In four sessions alone, Swansea Magistrates had 32 DV cases brought to court. Ten were brought in one session alone. More were brought outside of these sessions too, if someone was brought in overnight on remand for instance.
Of these 32 different cases, five were domestic incidents considered so serious they were sent to Crown court, one was not dealt with during the month due to several adjournments and of those dealt with in the magistrates' court, just one defendant was given an immediate custodial sentence.
The crimes ranged from assault, assault involving weapons, harassment, and beating with the defendant's age ranging from in their 20s to a pensioner in one instance.
Of the 32 defendants, two were women. Only one victim attended the court in person and this was only because they had allegedly resolved the issue with their partner before the case was brought to court but the CPS pursued a conviction due to other offences.
Statements read to the court through evidence or through the victim's personal statements chronicle the devastation, including;
"I was worried he was about to hit me.”
“He grabbed me by my hair and pushed me off the chair."
"I was terrified, scared, about what he may do to me."
"He subjected me to a sustained attack."
“Mental images remain with me.”
“I still want him to play a part in our child’s life but I never want to have contact with him."
"I want to walk down the street without constantly looking over my shoulder."
"I feel completely powerless, scared, frightened."
Among some of the cases first heard in Magistrates court or were followed to Crown court include those of Ricky Morris who committed a "vicious and unprovoked" assault on the mother of his five-week-old son in the middle of Swansea city centre because he didn't like the name she had chosen for the child.
Or Christopher Chandler who tried to murder his long-term partner by repeatedly stabbing her with a kitchen knife in a ferocious assault which almost severed her spine. There was another where Ashley James stalked his ex-girlfriend bombarded her with texts and calls and followed her as she was heading to work before telling a friend on his phone, “She's just got off the bus, come and get her”.
Nearly every defendant was handed a restraining order, subject to rehabilitation activity requirements (RAR) days and forced to pay financial dividends, usually to the courts through fines and penalties.
Throughout the cases at the domestic violence court at Swansea Magistrates, there was always an IDVA officer present. The IDVA service supports victims of domestic abuse ensuring that their voice is heard advocating services , providing safety measures and advice, and support through court and representation at multi-agency meetings.
Michelle Porter is one of the IDVA officers for Swansea and Neath Port Talbot areas. Part of her role is to be the voice of the victim within the court, make sure that the court is aware of the victim's wishes, she is able to effectively answer any questions the victims may have and manage their expectations of the Criminal Justice Process.
Effectively, IDVA officers are intended to support victims of domestic violence and be the go-between between them and the court. Michelle was present during every session WalesOnline attended.
She said: "The number of domestic abuse cases being heard at the Remand Court and the Specialist Domestic Violence Court (SDVC) in Swansea has consistently been of a high volume. The cases that are listed at the SDVC vary, some examples are: Common assault, breach of a restraining order and criminal damage. However, due to changes within the law, we are seeing an increase in stalking offences and non-fatal strangulation.
Covering this court formed part of a wider investigation into domestic violence in Wales. You can read that here.
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic abuse visit the Live Fear Free website or call the helpline on 0808 80 10 800.
Read next:
- Less than one per cent of police officers and staff facing complaints about treatment of women were sacked, figures show
- 'I was a happy little girl then my biological father sexually abused me every night for six months'
- Man imprisoned woman in his house and threatened to shoot himself if she left
- The new head of Wales' biggest police force on the challenges of lockdowns, drugs and knife crime
