British women can check for partner's violent past
Women in England and Wales will be able to check police
records to see if their partner has a history of domestic violence, the
government said on Monday.
The "Clare's Law" scheme -- named after
36-year-old Clare Wood who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2009 -- is
expected to come into force in March following a year-long pilot in several
parts of Britain.
Wood, a mother-of-one, had met George Appleton on Facebook
and was unaware of his history of violence against women, including the
kidnapping of another girlfriend at knifepoint.
He strangled Wood and set her body on fire before hanging
himself.
Home Secretary Theresa May said 88 British women had been
killed by a violent partner or ex-partner last year, and that there was
"considerable confusion" about whether police could share information
on someone's violent past with the public.
"Domestic abuse shatters lives -- Clare's Law provides
people with the information they need to escape an abusive situation before it
ends in tragedy," she told The Sun newspaper.
"The national scheme will ensure that more people can
make informed decisions about their relationship and escape if necessary.
"This is an important step towards ensuring we do
better by women like Clare Wood in the future."
Some 400 women applied for information about their partners
or ex-partners under the pilot scheme, with police providing details in around
100 of these cases, the Home Office, or interior ministry said.
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