2.6 Evidencing domestic abuse in Jazmin’s case
We are now going to look at our case study, the Johnson/Smith family [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] . We are now going to consider how to evidence the domestic abuse Jazmin has experienced. Remind yourself of the family and their situation.
You start to discuss with Jazmin how she could evidence the abusive behaviour she has experienced from Steve. Jazmin’s account of her relationship with Steve is below.
She says:
"At first Steve and I got on really well. He was always very generous and complimentary. After I became pregnant, his behaviour towards me changed. He started to get really jealous of me and my friends. He would behave badly if they came around and eventually they stopped coming over. I was so tired looking after our baby and making sure Steve got what he wanted that I didn’t have time to myself anymore.
Steve started taking the child benefit money and spending it on drink. He would give me what he called ‘housekeeping’, so I could buy food and clothes for our daughter. He would not give me any money for Jaden, my son from a previous relationship. Some days I didn’t have enough money to buy food for myself so I went hungry. He was always checking up on me and he would get really angry when I didn’t do what he wanted. I tried to leave a couple of times but he would always talk me into coming back. He said he loved me and begged me to stay. He would make me think it was my fault, that I’d made him angry.
One day, I was late back from a doctor’s appointment. He went mad at me, saying I was having an affair. He smashed the place up and punched me in the face. I was holding our daughter at the time and Jaden was in the house, hiding in his bedroom. A neighbour called the police and they came and took Steve away. I was scared that when he got home he would do something worse, so whilst he was out of the house I managed to get away and get a room in a women’s refuge.
I have heard that he is trying to find where I am staying and wants to take the children from me. I am really scared."
Activity 11
How could Jazmin evidence the abusive acts and behaviour she alleges?
Comment
Jazmin describes a number of different types of behaviours for which there may be evidence available. First there would be the evidence of Jazmin herself. In relation to the financial abuse, there may be bank statements, card receipts or shopping receipts available. In relation to the isolating behaviour including checking up on her, there may be mobile phone records, texts or WhatsApp messages to evidence this.
She refers to a doctor’s appointment: medical records showing treatment for health problems related to domestic abuse can be used as evidence. For the last incident when she left the family home, there should be police reports and statements available (and possibly medical evidence if she sought medical treatment).
She is currently receiving support from domestic abuse workers linked to the local refuge and a letter from support organisations can be used to support an application for legal aid or court application. Jazmin also says that Steve is trying to find her and making threats to take the children: there may be evidence of this though text messages or voice mail messages.
The focus at this initial stage is to support Jazmin as she identifies the evidence she has which she can use, either for a legal aid application or in court proceedings. There may be behaviours which her friends or family can provide witness evidence of, for example Steve’s jealousy and isolation of her or her previous attempts to leave. Other people may have seen or heard what has happened.
Sometimes clients are worried about involving other people in the proceedings. Others may tell you they want these people to give supporting evidence. At the initial stage of proceedings our focus should be on the client and the evidence they have at the moment within their control. We can explain that the client can ask the judge later if they can include evidence from other witnesses to support their case.
2.5 How to help clients evidence domestic abuse