IN FEBRUARY 2009, the country was shocked by the murder of Clare Wood.
The 36-year-old was killed by her ex-boyfriend, George Appleton, who had previously served prison sentences for stalking, harassing and abusing women.
After her death, her family said she would never have entered into the relationship had she known of Appleton’s violent past – and campaigned for a way to alert potential victims of domestic violence of a partner’s prior offences, known as Clare’s Law.
What is Clare’s Law?
Clare's Law – or the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) - deals primarily with convictions for violent or abusive behaviour.
Under the scheme, individuals can ask police to check whether a new or existing partner has a violent past (the ‘right to ask’).
If police checks show a person may be at risk of domestic violence from their partner, the police will consider disclosing the information.
The Manchester Safeguarding Partnership said: “The aim of the scheme is to give people an opportunity to make enquiries about an individual who they are in a relationship with, or who is in a relationship with someone they know, and there is a concern that the individual may be abusive towards their partner.
“If police checks show that the individual has a record of offences relating to abuse or there is other information to indicate the person you know is at risk, the police will consider sharing this information with the person(s) best placed to protect the potential victim”
How does Clare’s Law work?
The scheme gives a member of the public the right to ask the police if their partner may pose a risk to them.
The Met Police says it also allows ‘a member of the public to make an enquiry into the partner of a close friend or family member’.
Most police forces have an online form that people can fill in, which is then evaluated by officers, who decide whether to inform them of the results.
Clare’s law applies primarily to reveal prior convictions for violent and/or abusive behaviour.
For other offences, such as sexual offences, there is a separate disclosure scheme, called Sarah's Law.
What is Sarah’s Law?
The Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme - Sarah’s Law - allows parents, carers or guardians to formally ask the police for information about a person who has contact with their child, or a child close to them, if they’re concerned the person may pose a risk.
It came about after a campaign launched in the aftermath of the death of eight-year-old Sarah Payne in West Sussex in 2000.
Roy Whiting was convicted of her abduction and murder in December 2001 and sentenced to life imprisonment.
After it emerged Whiting already had a conviction for abducting and indecently assaulting an eight-year-old girl, Sarah’s parents – along with a national newspaper – campaigned for people to be able to discover if a convicted sex offender lived in their area, by requesting details from the sex offender’s register.
Sarah’s Law is a modified version of that scheme and came into force across the country in 2011.
Parents, carers or guardians can enquire about a named individual who has regular access to their children.
As with Clare’s Law, most police force’s have an online form to apply for details to be released under Sarah’s Law.
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