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New Legislation Introduced to Tackle Violence Against Women and Girls

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Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced new plans to strengthen the police’s abilities to tackle violence towards women and girls.

The government will fund a pilot across certain police forces from early 2025. In this article, we will explain what changes are due to be implemented at the start of the new year.

While we hope this information is useful, please note that it should not be taken as legal advice. If you need legal support with allegations related to violent crimes, then please get in touch and our team can advise you.

What changes will be introduced?

From November, those accused of domestic abuse may be ordered to stay away from their victims and face longer penalties if they breach certain rules, as a result of the new domestic abuse legislation.

The new orders will introduce certain measures, such as a legal obligation for alleged offenders to notify the police of any changes to their name or address, the use of electronic tagging, and mandatory assessments for behavioural change programs. These orders will not have a maximum duration.

What are the current laws surrounding domestic violence?

Domestic Violence Protection Notices can currently be issued by the police when attending incidents of alleged domestic violence. They are an immediate and short-term measure used to remove the suspected perpetrator from the property for 48 hours.  This is designed to give the victim a degree of safety and space by removing the suspected perpetrator and preventing them from molesting the victim.

The police can then apply to the magistrates’ court for a Domestic Violence Protection Order – this is not to be confused with the above-mentioned notice – which extends the notice for a further 14 to 28 days.

The pilot scheme will build on the powers that the police have when dealing with cases of domestic violence, as the police can order suspected perpetrators not to make contact with or go within a certain distance of a particular individual.

What crimes will be covered by this legislation?

The orders will address all types of domestic abuse, including violence, stalking, and controlling behaviour.

These orders will also allow more agencies to apply for and enforce them. It will not just be the police or the criminal courts which can impose such orders; the family and civil courts will also have the power to apply such orders.

Third parties, such as local authorities, charities, and social services, will also be able to implement these orders, and victims can apply for the order directly.

What are the penalties for breaching this legislation?

Breaching one of these new orders will be a criminal offence and will be punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

What should you do if you are accused of a violent crime?

When they are introduced, the potential punishments for breaching these orders will be serious, meaning that having expert legal advice on your side when facing such an accusation is essential.

Our specialist criminal defence solicitors have over 45 years of experience in handling complex and serious cases, including those related to violent crimes.

Regardless of your circumstances, our team will be on hand to provide tailored legal representation.

We are highly skilled at reviewing all forms of evidence that are used in these types of cases, including forensic and digital evidence. We have all of the tools and knowledge to build a strong defence case.

We have also been accredited by the Law Society for Criminal Litigation, which has allowed us to establish strong relationships with many of the country’s leading criminal defence barristers.

Fees and funding

When dealing with fees and funding, we will always be clear and upfront about your options.

Legal Aid may be available in some cases, but this depends on the seriousness of the case and whether it will justify the grant of public funding.

To find out more about the way we handle fees (both Legal Aid and private fees), please use the links provided below:

Related offences

We also provide support and guidance on various other matters that are related to domestic violence, including:

Related cases

Contact our criminal defence lawyers today

If you are due to attend the police station, require any urgent specialist advice, or immediate representation for allegations of violence, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

You can contact our dedicated criminal defence lawyers in London, Birmingham, and Manchester by telephone on:

Or email: solicitors@jdspicer.co.uk

Alternatively, you can fill out our quick online enquiry form, and we will get back to you quickly.

24/7 legal representation for domestic violence allegations

Please contact us for a free initial consultation with one of our criminal defence lawyers for immediate advice and representation.

For urgent representation and advice, you can contact our Emergency Number: 07836 577 556 and we will provide you with the assistance you need.

How can we help?

Common questions

We always work with the most experienced and best leading UK barristers, KCs (Kings Counsel). We cover all criminal cases 24/7 at the police station and court. Offices in London, Birmingham, and Manchester cover cases across England and Wales. We can offer Legal Aid and affordable Private fee agreements. We can see you the same day, including virtually. Our Senior Partners supervise all of our cases.

How quickly do you respond?

We respond quickly even during out of hours. We do not get our work by paying for online adverts but based on the fact that few criminal law firms can match our 45 years of experience. Most of our cases are still from word-of-mouth recommendations from satisfied clients. We are called daily by dissatisfied clients from firms with less experience than us. We respond very quickly to new enquiries. We know what clients seek and so we update clients rapidly.

Can you get cases dropped?

Yes, read about the recent cases we've helped our clients with here.

We always keep you updated and give straightforward advice. We will get cases dropped early where the case is weak or should not be prosecuted. We will be upfront with you about where you can benefit from a good result with an early guilty plea, such as a discount on your sentence. As we work on cases across all levels with clients from all walks of life, we are excellent at giving clear, spot-on advice. As an established firm, we can allocate a whole team to your case often at short notice to secure evidence to minimise the damage to you. 

Have you won any awards?

OUR PROFESSIONAL BODY THE LAW SOCIETY AWARDED US IN OCTOBER 2020 WITH THE EXCELLENCE IN CLIENT SERVICE AWARD AND STATED - 

"JD Spicer Zeb demonstrated a clear commitment to client service through their work with vulnerable and diverse individuals in what can be severely traumatic circumstances".

Do you offer free consultations?

Where it is possible, we aim to provide an initial consultation to you. If we can speak to you, we can if required inform you about  –

  • Whether we can take the case on and our relevant experience.
  • Public and private funding benefits.
  • Assistance in applying for legal aid where we are likely to accept instructions.
  • An outline of options in police interview only. We will not advise you on which option to adopt.
  • Providing our free written guide explaining the police station process.
  • The gravity of routine and day-to-day offences you face.
  • Consequences of not attending the court or police station.
  • Consequences of interfering with any witnesses.
  • Retaining any evidence in support of your case.
  • If possible an outline of the elements of the offence that the police or CPS must prove.
  • This consultation will normally be by telephone or email and will only be for as long as we deem necessary to establish if we can act for you. If we cannot usefully give you any advice in this manner then we will not continue with the consultation. We will not discuss the case in depth for you to be able to decide on your plea or any significant aspect of the case, as this cannot be undertaken informally.
  • Referring you, if possible, to other firms for matters out of our specialism or if we cannot help.

Consultations do not apply to the following cases –

  • If we do not intend to take the case on.
  • Road Traffic cases, drink driving, drug driving, driving bans, speeding, no insurance, mobile phone use, points etc.
  • In all cases where we do not have the capacity to take your case or the availability of suitably qualified staff to provide an initial free consultation. This is applicable in all cases but especially where a more senior lawyer is required because of your personal needs or the complexity of the case.
  • Harassment/stalking/ coercive behaviour/malicious communications or road traffic cases and most sensitive cases. These cases are often too complicated to assess in short consultations.
  • The locations concerned may be too distant to represent you adequately or it may not be cost-effective for you or us.
  • The case is too complicated to assess or raises various charges or facts, complexity, or history to be considered informally or in a short consultation.
  • In most Legal aid transfers where legal aid is granted to another firm except in very grave cases, we may assess the case and merits for a transfer.
  • If your relationship has broken down with your existing solicitor or several solicitors.
  • If you have been released under investigation and have already had a police station attendance. 
  • If you hold legal aid with another firm and seek a second opinion.
  • If you are calling on behalf of the client as a friend or family member unless you have full authority and full facts.
  • To businesses.
  • Advising whether you were given good advice by your other solicitor.
  • Whether to decide to plead guilty or not guilty.
  • Whether you have an arguable defence in law or factually complicated defences.
  • Any advice you have had after your first court appearance.
  • Any advice on appeal on conviction or sentence.
  • If we feel we are unable to communicate with you.
  • If we are likely to be conflicted or breach our professional rules.