DOMESTIC ABUSE
Injunction/Non-molestation Order
Domestic abuse is taken seriously by the Courts and there are measures available to ensure that you are protected, should you believe that you or your family are at risk of harm.
The Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) estimated 1.3 million female and 600,000 male victims of domestic abuse in 2014/2015. This is a considerable number of victims and can include abuse which has been ongoing for some time.
If you believe yourself to be at risk of harm from a former spouse or partner, you should report this to the police immediately and then seek legal advice.
If you believe that you have been a victim of domestic abuse and require advice, I can arrange a consultation to discuss the nature of your concerns and advice you on protective measures to help you.
The definition of Domestic violence and abuse is wide and includes the following:
a) Psychological
b) Physical
c) Sexual
d) Emotional
It is also a form of abuse for a person to control, force or make threats of harm to try and intimidate or isolate a person from friends or family.
If you have received any threats of harm or believe that you may be at risk of harm, it is important that you report this to the Police immediately and then contact me for urgent legal advice to enable me to consider what action I can take to ensure that you are protected.
Please see my blog on domestic abuse for further information on what domestic abuse means.
Honour Based abuse/Forced Marriage Protection Order
Honour based abuse is a serious issue and if you have been forced or pressurised into a marriage by way of threats or emotional blackmail or intimidation, this is a criminal offence. You should firstly report this to the Police and then seek urgent legal advice by contacting me to enable me to advise you further.
Funding
If you have been a victim of domestic abuse and require a protective injunction, you are entitled to Legal Aid Funding to make the initial application, after which a financial assessment will be completed to assess whether you are eligible to continue receiving Legal Aid funding.
If you have previously suffered domestic violence, you may also be eligible for Legal Aid funding to receive family advice.
If you wish to discuss the above further, please do not hesitate to contact me.
