Dozens of Sussex women protected by Clare's Law in first nine months of scheme

A total of 65 women in Sussex were warned about their partner's history of domestic violence during a nine-month period in 2014.
Clare WoodClare Wood
Clare Wood

Clare’s Law, named after Clare Wood who was murdered by an ex-boyfriend in 2009, allows members of the public to ask police to disclose information about an individual’s violent past.

Figures released by the Home Office today (Tuesday March 8), on the two-year anniversary of the scheme’s rollout, show how many people applied for information in the nine months after Clare’s Law came into force.

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Nationally, 4,724 applications were made between March 8 2014 and December 31 2014, with 1,938 disclosures made.

In Sussex, 150 people applied to police for information about their partner, and 65 disclosures were made.

The law, also known as Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS), was introduced in England and Wales on International Women’s Day.

It is designed to provide victims with information that may protect them from an abusive situation before it ends in tragedy, the Home Office said.

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Clare Wood, who lived in Salford, was 36 when she was murdered by her former partner George Appleton in 2009.

Appleton had a history of violence against women.

The DVDS recognises two procedures for disclosing information. The first, right to ask, is triggered by a member of the public applying to the police for a disclosure.

The second, right to know, is triggered by the police making a proactive decision to disclose information to protect a potential victim.

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