New powers are being used by police to protect victims of domestic abuse in Greater Manchester.
Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs), which were first trialled in Bury last November, have now been rolled out in Wigan. Within one week, five orders have been issued in the borough, prohibiting perpetrators of domestic abuse from contacting victims.
And those who ignore the orders are facing the consequences. Last week, a man from Bury who breached a DAPO by visiting a woman’s home on Boxing Day, as well as failing to attend a police station as required by the order, was jailed for eight months.
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As of last week, seven people had been issued with a DAPO in Greater Manchester. GMP have now secured another five DAPOs in Wigan where the scheme was rolled out on January 6, with applications relating to several others due to go through the courts.
The DAPOs granted so far include:
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A 48-year-old man was served with a six-month DAPO for continued harassment reported at an ex-partner’s address, where he refused to leave several times whilst under the influence of alcohol.
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A six-month DAPO was issued after a woman reported that man had turned up at her property demanding money, attempting to get inside, and had damaged her front door, leaving her fearful of her safety at home.
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A six-month DAPO to protect a victim who made disclosures about being physically assaulted several times and needing help to leave the relationship which was becoming increasingly violent.
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A man who was reportedly continually turning up at an address, was given a six-month DAPO, in order to prevent further harassment of the victim.
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The first woman in Greater Manchester was handed a DAPO, after a 999 call in which the victim reported being assaulted with a bottle and chased down the street. The victim did not wish to proceed criminally, but wanted the alleged perpetrator removed from the address. Understanding the seriousness of the allegations, the judge granted a six-month DAPO to protect him.
Michael Mitchell was jailed for eight months after breaching a DAPO -Credit:Greater Manchester Police (GMP)
GMP’s domestic abuse lead, Detective Superintendent Toby Facey, said; “It is clear from the circumstances of these incidents the need to immediately protect these victims and ensure their safety, even if they have not wished to support criminal prosecution. No breaches have been reported on the district yet, but we continue to be proactive on how we monitor that perpetrators are sticking to the conditions of their order, and how we are safeguarding victims.
“Perpetrators of domestic abuse should not underestimate DAPOs and the sanctions they could face if they breach the conditions of them; we’ve already seen people getting weeks or months in prison. We are committed to continually improving our response to domestic abuse, and it’s clear DAPOs are already having a positive impact.”
It comes as the Manchester Evening News campaigns for domestic abuse victims to be better protected following the horrific murder of Caroline Gore. The 44-year-old was killed by her abusive partner in Wigan after repeatedly breaching a restraining order against her.
David Liptrot, who is now serving 20 years behind bars, stabbed Caroline to death at her Douglas House flat in October 2023, less than four weeks after he was spared jail for breaching a restraining order again. Liptrot received a suspended sentence for breaching the order which prohibited him from contacting ‘vulnerable’ Caroline for a second time, letting him walk free and kill Caroline weeks later.
David Liptrot killed his girlfriend Caroline Gore -Credit:GMP
The M.E.N. is calling for a mandatory minimum prison sentence for those who breach protective orders like the one Liptrot got away with ignoring. A petition, which also calls for proper monitoring of these orders, has now been signed by more than 75,000 people.
Speaking to the M.E.N. in November, safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said our campaign could lead to change. She was speaking ahead of the new DAPOs being trialled in Greater Manchester in a two-year pilot with the first orders issued in Bury in December.
Unlike the existing Domestic Violence Protection Notices, this new type of order can be granted for any length of time and may include ‘positive requirements’ for perpetrators such as electronic monitoring or attendance at a behaviour change programme. The two-year pilot is now being rolled out in Wigan before takes effect across Greater Manchester as well as three London boroughs.
Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls Jess Phillips said: “To see these new orders in use and protecting people is really important – in the short time since they were launched, they have already provided greater safety for victims and more robust management for perpetrators of domestic abuse. We welcome the work that has been delivered so far by all of the forces involved, particularly in pursuing breaches of these orders which is incredibly important to build victim confidence.
“We will continue working with the police and other partners to put victims at the heart of our work. We will make sure they receive the best protections possible, part of our ambitious mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.”