Mike Hancock News
MP to take domestic violence petition direct to PM
Mike Hancock, MP (Lib Dem - Portsmouth South) will help six of his constituents who have been victims of domestic violence take a petition calling for longer sentences for perpetrators of domestic violence to 10, Downing Street. Over 2,000 people in Portsmouth have signed the petition.
Many perpetrators only get a sentence of two years or less which is the maximum sentence for dumping rubbish. For example a management consultant who branded his wife with a hot steam iron and slashed her with a knife because she had forgotten to make his sandwiches walked free from court in August 2007 with only a £2,000 fine.
The text of the petition is as follows:
"Domestic violence is a very Serious Crime that can lead to Women, Men and Children being physically and emotionally damaged, and, worse case scenario end up dead. Currently, the law sees fit that perpetrators of Domestic Violence have learnt lenient punishment!
There are signs around that state "If you dump rubbish, the maximum penalty you could receive is 2 years imprisonment". This seems rather harsh in comparison to the sentences passed or in a lot of cases, not passed to perpetrators of Domestic Violence. Women and Men can break free from abusive relationships, but perpetrators of Domestic Violence, due to lack of deterrent, continue to re offend."
Mike Hancock said: "I am pleased to be able to help my constituents put pressure on the Government to take domestic violence seriously. Unfortunately 1 in 4 women are victims of domestic violence some time in their lives. It is a massively unreported crime and I feel that many women and some men feel that the authorities do not take it seriously. They feel that even if someone is sentenced that they will, in any case, only get a short sentence and be out of prison in no time. I hope that the Government will listen to my constituents and act on this issue. I will continue to be pressing them to do so."
There is more on the case mentioned at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-476644/Executive-branded-wife-iron-freed-2-000-fine.html. There is more information on domestic violence at the Womens Aid website at http://www.womensaid.org.uk/default.asp.
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