ARCHIVE - Police and the courts

Tell them the story including his threats. Ask for their advice on protecting yourself. Do you still live in the place you shared? Any chance he might still have a key? Call out an emergency locksmith and have the barrels changed before you spend a night in the house.

Can you get out and sleep somewhere else tonight? Somewhere he doesn't know, somewhere he won't instantly go to if you're not at home?

Or at the very least is there anyone who could come and stay with you so you are not alone?

Get onto this right away, yoyo, someone has made a horrible mistake here.

Flower xxx

Ring the police Public Protection Unit - this way you can ask to speak to an officer that deals specifically in domestic Abuse. Tell them the whole story but making the threat to kill the most serious of your worries. ring Womens Aid and ask for a self referral if you haven't already been referred and also Victim Support. If you have any other agencies in the area (Early Intervention Project etc) then ring them. The police don't always act quickly enough or take proper precautions for our safety. The more people you tell the more it cannot be ignored. Be very very explicit about fearing for your life. Go to your doctors and be explicit - your ex partner has threatened your life and you are unable to deal with the situation. This will allow you to get written confirmation from your doctor when the case comes to court - another piece of verifiable evidence as to how his actions have affected you.

If he has been released from Crown Court there must have been bail conditions attached to his release? If you don't know you have the right to contact the Witness Protection Service or the Public Protection Unit to ask them what the conditions are. The hearing today may have been to accept his plea (guilty/not guilty) and set a date for the hearing based on whether they need to gather reports from probation, police etc. If you are giving evidence then you are entitled to ask the Witness Protection Service attached to the court to make special arrangements - youcan enter the court building by a back entrance and bypass the public waiting area and be settled in a secure room and escorted to and from the court room. You can request a screen be put up in the courtroom so that he can't see you. If you have been associated to Womens Aid, or other similar bodies they can arrange to escort you to court and make arrangements for a Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference. I also got bold and contacted my local Probation Office and spoke to his probation officer and expressed my concerns over threats to kill. It is the squeaky wheel that gets oiled. I can hear the fear in your message so move as quickly and as safely as possible. make sure as many people as possible know your whereabouts at all times. This is no time to be coy about washing your dirty linen in public. I have been in your situation - he's badly cornered and you're his nearest target. Please don't sit at home shivering and frightened because thats when you're most vulnerable. Pick up the phone and start letting people know. and do not under any circumstances admit to any knowledge at all about the laptop - I'll bet he's got plenty of enemies and will be paranoid enough to think that all of them are guilty.

Keep safe xxxx

I hope that you are O.K. Have you been able to contact the police or any of the other support agencies that have been suggested to get some help and support. I also hope that you are somewhere safe.

It is important that the police are aware of the seriousness of his threats you may also need to get some legal advice about what you can do next. You could call The National domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000247 or The National Centre for Domestic Violence on 0844 8044999.
Do keep posting and let us know how things are.
Best Wishes
Lisa