The coverage of Clare’s Law, which allows people to check the police record of their partners, is to be expanded to all of England and Wales after a successful pilot in four locations.
Named after Clare Wood, who was killed by ex-boyfriend George Appleton in Salford in 2009, the law – which is officially known as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme – has been piloted in Greater Manchester, Gwent, Nottinghamshire and Wiltshire since the end of 2012.
It is tipped to be rolled out across England and Wales in March 2014 and any request for the disclosure of a history of domestic violence will be checked by a panel of police, probation services and other agencies. Trained police officers and advisers would provide support to victims once any disclosure has been made.
Ms Wood was not aware of her former partner’s history of violence towards women and, had the scheme been in existence then, it could have “quite possibly saved her life,” her father, Michael Brown, told the BBC.
During the pilot phase of the scheme, 111 disclosures regarding violence towards women were made in the four areas involved.
Theresa May, Home Secretary, told the House of Commons: “Clare’s Law provides people with the information they need to escape an abusive situation before it ends in tragedy. The national scheme will ensure that more people can make informed decisions about their relationship and escape if necessary.
“This is an important step towards ensuring we do better by women like Clare Wood in the future,” she added, confirming that 88 women across the UK were murdered by their partners in 2012.