People will be able to check whether their partners have been domestic abusers under new legistlation.
Clare’s Law which is named after a mother who was murdered by her ex is set to be unveiled tomorrow.
Prime Minister Theresa May will announce the move as part of a host of legal reforms, The Sun on Sunday reports.
George Appleton, 40, strangled 36-year-old Clare Wood, from Salford, and set her on fire after they met online.
Ms Wood was oblivious to the fact that he’d served a three-year prison sentence for harassing another woman.
The reform that bears her name can be used by both sexes and encompasses ‘economic’ as well as physical abuse.
Economic abuse is when abusers use money or access to transport to control their victim.
The law also makes way for the appointment of a domestic abuse commissioner and victim support.
The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) is often called ‘Clare’s Law’ after the landmark case that led to it.
Clare’s Law gives any member of the public the right to ask the police if their partner may pose a risk to them.
A member of the public can also make enquiries into the partner of a close friend or family member.
To apply you must go to a police station in person, and discuss your concerns and situation with a police officer or staff member.
Police and partner agencies will then carry out a range of checks.
If these reveal a record of abusive offences, or suggest a risk of violence or abuse, they will consider sharing this information.
The disclosure will usually be made in person, to the person at risk, at a time and place agreed in advance to be safe.
Refuge staff deal with the human misery of domestic violence every day. The cost to women and children’s lives is devastating.
‘But now the immense cost to the taxpayer has been laid bare, too. Domestic violence is truly everybody’s business.
‘This Bill represents a once in a generation opportunity to address domestic violence but in order to do so we must ensure its aspirations are matched by adequate resource.