4:43:35 > 4:43:41I'm Judith Gillespie. For many years, I was a serving police officer here.
4:43:41 > 4:43:44During that time, I saw many things, both bad...
4:43:48 > 4:43:49..and good.
4:43:50 > 4:43:53- JOURNALIST:- Judith Gillespie now finds herself
4:43:53 > 4:43:55sitting on the Policing Board alongside Sinn Fein.
4:43:57 > 4:43:59Thankfully, as a community, we have moved on.
4:44:01 > 4:44:04Now I've left the police and I'm passing on my experience
4:44:04 > 4:44:07to the next generation at this business class.
4:44:07 > 4:44:11I'm not approaching this from a particularly academic perspective,
4:44:11 > 4:44:12I'm approaching it from the point of view
4:44:12 > 4:44:15that I've been a police officer for 32 years.
4:44:15 > 4:44:19I joined when I was four, of course! LAUGHTER
4:44:19 > 4:44:21So, here, we have some rare photographs
4:44:21 > 4:44:23from my early police career.
4:44:23 > 4:44:25That's Andersonstown Police Station.
4:44:25 > 4:44:27It was one of my very first police stations.
4:44:27 > 4:44:31We've come a long way from the dark days of the past,
4:44:31 > 4:44:35but despite progress in many areas, we still have some serious issues.
4:44:37 > 4:44:41One of them is domestic violence, mainly against women.
4:44:41 > 4:44:44Last year, there were 28,000 incidents.
4:44:51 > 4:44:53WOMAN SOBS
4:45:02 > 4:45:06There's an emergency call like this every 19 minutes.
4:45:06 > 4:45:08And the numbers are going up.
4:45:08 > 4:45:10But behind each number is a victim.
4:45:12 > 4:45:18He put his hands around my throat and pushed me up against the wall
4:45:18 > 4:45:22and he was stamping on me and punching me.
4:45:22 > 4:45:26While assaults on men do happen, up to six women are murdered
4:45:26 > 4:45:30at the hands of their partner or ex-partner every year.
4:45:30 > 4:45:32Thousands are injured.
4:45:32 > 4:45:35Many live in fear and in silence.
4:45:36 > 4:45:40Then he grabbed me, er, literally dragged me to the car
4:45:40 > 4:45:45and punched me inside the car and I got winded.
4:45:45 > 4:45:48All my life, being honest
4:45:48 > 4:45:54and to lie and to keep up a lie made me feel ashamed of myself.
4:45:56 > 4:46:00'So why are some men so violent to women?
4:46:00 > 4:46:03'I want to look those in the eye who beat their partners.'
4:46:03 > 4:46:05Where did you kick her?
4:46:05 > 4:46:08In the chest, the neck and face and head.
4:46:10 > 4:46:14She had multiple breaks and fractures in her cheeks.
4:46:14 > 4:46:17'Most of all, it destroys the lives of our children
4:46:17 > 4:46:20'who carry the scars to the next generation.'
4:46:20 > 4:46:24We've dealt with terrorism in this country for a long time,
4:46:24 > 4:46:28yet we're not recognising the terrorism that happens in homes.
4:46:30 > 4:46:33The question is - are our laws fit for purpose?
4:46:33 > 4:46:37Do we really understand what's going on in people's homes?
4:46:37 > 4:46:39Is each and every one of us doing enough
4:46:39 > 4:46:42to rid our society of this scourge?
4:46:58 > 4:47:02So, we're driving along Stockman's Lane towards West Belfast
4:47:02 > 4:47:05and, when I worked here during the Troubles,
4:47:05 > 4:47:08we always had to be escorted by the Army,
4:47:08 > 4:47:12both for going onto shifts and during the shift.
4:47:12 > 4:47:16And always at the back of your mind was the prospect of an ambush,
4:47:16 > 4:47:19whether by gun, rocket or a bomb attack,
4:47:19 > 4:47:22especially at shift changeover times.
4:47:30 > 4:47:33I can remember attending domestic violence incidents here
4:47:33 > 4:47:36or family rows, as they would've been called in those days,
4:47:36 > 4:47:40where the police would've seen their role as to reconcile the situation,
4:47:40 > 4:47:44rather than deal with the assault and, of course, when we attended,
4:47:44 > 4:47:48it would have been nine male police officers, four soldiers and
4:47:48 > 4:47:52myself, the wee policewoman, to deal with what was quite serious crime.
4:47:52 > 4:47:56It was even risky for the victim to call the police herself.
4:47:56 > 4:47:59But nowadays, that has changed and the police have a policy
4:47:59 > 4:48:02of arresting the alleged perpetrator straightaway.
4:48:09 > 4:48:11'I'm meeting a young woman
4:48:11 > 4:48:14'who was in an abusive relationship for ten years.
4:48:14 > 4:48:17'She's one of a number of women who have bravely decided
4:48:17 > 4:48:21'to tell their stories to me in detail on camera for the first time.'
4:48:23 > 4:48:27The abuse, it didn't start as violence.
4:48:27 > 4:48:32It started out more like emotional abuse, um...
4:48:32 > 4:48:36When I had moved in with him, he was working and I wasn't
4:48:36 > 4:48:41and, like, I didn't really pick up on it at the start.
4:48:42 > 4:48:46Rosie McEntee from County Armagh was in an abusive relationship
4:48:46 > 4:48:49with Darren McKeown from the age of 16.
4:48:49 > 4:48:51They had two children.
4:48:51 > 4:48:55He didn't like me leaving the flat while he was at work, um,
4:48:55 > 4:49:00which I thought he was just... he was just being overprotective.
4:49:00 > 4:49:04Then it got to the stage where he would want me to meet him
4:49:04 > 4:49:07at the bottom of the road when he was getting dropped off
4:49:07 > 4:49:09and he would literally go frantic
4:49:09 > 4:49:13if I wasn't standing at the bottom of the road waiting on him.
4:49:13 > 4:49:17An example of McKeown's aggressive and controlling behaviour
4:49:17 > 4:49:19was captured on this home video.
4:49:44 > 4:49:49'The first time that he was actually physical towards me was'
4:49:49 > 4:49:52when my first child was only two months old.
4:49:53 > 4:49:59Um, my ex had been drinking all day, so he had, um,
4:49:59 > 4:50:03and he arrived home at 12 o'clock at night
4:50:03 > 4:50:07and he came in through the door shouting and demanding
4:50:07 > 4:50:10that I come down the stairs and drink with him.
4:50:10 > 4:50:14I'd no sooner got into bed till he had come running up the stairs
4:50:14 > 4:50:19and into the bedroom and trailed me by the hair out of bed,
4:50:19 > 4:50:21across the bedroom and tried to actually trail me
4:50:21 > 4:50:23down the stairs by the hair.
4:50:23 > 4:50:26I got away from him and I got my phone
4:50:26 > 4:50:28and I locked myself in the bathroom,
4:50:28 > 4:50:30because I was just... I was petrified.
4:50:30 > 4:50:34He had never, ever done anything like that before. He'd...
4:50:35 > 4:50:38He'd only ever used emotional abuse towards me.
4:50:38 > 4:50:43Um, and I was just... I was petrified, so I rang the police.
4:50:44 > 4:50:47McKeown persuaded Rosie to drop her complaint
4:50:47 > 4:50:49and lie to the police.
4:50:49 > 4:50:50I look back now and I know that
4:50:50 > 4:50:54that was the first and most vital mistake that I had made was,
4:50:54 > 4:50:58you know, sending them police away that night, because, literally,
4:50:58 > 4:51:02I just handed him so much power and he knew all he had to do was cry
4:51:02 > 4:51:05and, you know, tell me he was never going to do it again,
4:51:05 > 4:51:08and make me feel guilty, and I would...
4:51:08 > 4:51:10you know, I would back down.
4:51:10 > 4:51:13Rosie finally plucked up the courage to leave him
4:51:13 > 4:51:15after he beat her up outside a pub.
4:51:18 > 4:51:20He kept kicking me, kicking my head off the kerb
4:51:20 > 4:51:22and literally walking up and down the street
4:51:22 > 4:51:26roaring, saying, "Somebody stop me, because I'm going to kill her!"
4:51:26 > 4:51:29and then, kicking me again, um...
4:51:29 > 4:51:34And he had... He got arrested, um, but I wouldn't press charges.
4:51:34 > 4:51:38I wouldn't make a statement, I was too afraid to make a statement.
4:51:38 > 4:51:42Um, and he got released the next morning.
4:51:42 > 4:51:47And when I saw the taxi pull up, I knew it was him, so I ran outside.
4:51:47 > 4:51:50And, when I ran away from him, he grabbed me by the hair
4:51:50 > 4:51:53and trailed me and said, "Where the hell do you think you're going?"
4:51:53 > 4:51:54and trailed me back into the house
4:51:54 > 4:51:57and just kept punching and punching my face.
4:51:58 > 4:52:01With the help of Women's Aid and the PSNI,
4:52:01 > 4:52:04Rosie moved to a refuge and later to a house,
4:52:04 > 4:52:06where she began a new life with her children,
4:52:06 > 4:52:09away from where she used to live.
4:52:09 > 4:52:12Her ex-partner was jailed for nine months,
4:52:12 > 4:52:15but one day, Darren McKeown turned up at her door.
4:52:17 > 4:52:21McKeown trailed Rosie into the street and viciously beat her again.
4:52:23 > 4:52:26I knew that it wasn't going to end well.
4:52:26 > 4:52:27I knew, I just knew!
4:52:27 > 4:52:31I knew by the look in his eyes that his plan was to kill me.
4:52:31 > 4:52:34'With the help of a neighbour and a passing van driver,
4:52:34 > 4:52:37'she managed to escape and call the police.'
4:52:43 > 4:52:45SHE SOBS
4:53:13 > 4:53:16Rosie suffered a number of injuries.
4:53:16 > 4:53:17Her former partner was jailed,
4:53:17 > 4:53:19this time for three years.
4:53:20 > 4:53:23Rosie's children were taken into care.
4:53:23 > 4:53:25She's hoping to get them back.
4:53:31 > 4:53:32SOFT CHATTER
4:53:34 > 4:53:36He is, yeah.
4:53:36 > 4:53:38She tries to be, but...
4:53:38 > 4:53:41I do believe that my children going into the care system, you know,
4:53:41 > 4:53:45has caused them further grief and further, you know, heartache.
4:53:45 > 4:53:47They shouldn't have had to went through
4:53:47 > 4:53:51witnessing the domestic abuse, but then, to be taken away
4:53:51 > 4:53:55from their mother - you know, it wasn't the answer.
4:53:55 > 4:53:58'The Western Trust said that, respecting confidentiality,
4:53:58 > 4:54:02'it does not comment on individual cases.'
4:54:02 > 4:54:07So what advice would you give to a woman, young or old in your position,
4:54:07 > 4:54:12and the first time their partner physically attacks them?
4:54:12 > 4:54:14To get out straightaway and don't...
4:54:14 > 4:54:17You know, don't fall for the same thing that I fell for,
4:54:17 > 4:54:21don't fall for the tears and the excuses
4:54:21 > 4:54:25and the promises that it's not going to happen again, because...
4:54:25 > 4:54:30I know for a fact that, me, if I had pushed forward
4:54:30 > 4:54:34with the police that first time he laid hands on me,
4:54:34 > 4:54:37I wouldn't have went through the years of, you know,
4:54:37 > 4:54:40additional violence and abuse that I went through.
4:54:40 > 4:54:43Um, and I handed him the power.
4:54:48 > 4:54:51Listening to Rosie there,
4:54:51 > 4:54:54she talks about many years of utterly controlling
4:54:54 > 4:54:58and manipulative behaviour by her partner.
4:54:58 > 4:55:02And he completely isolated her from her family and her friends.
4:55:02 > 4:55:06And sometimes, vulnerable women like Rosie just don't realise
4:55:06 > 4:55:08that there is help out there.
4:55:09 > 4:55:12But then, part of me wonders,
4:55:12 > 4:55:14do some of us look the other way when this is happening
4:55:14 > 4:55:17and we just don't want to get involved?
4:55:21 > 4:55:25In England and Wales in December 2015, new legislation was introduced
4:55:25 > 4:55:28to deal with coercive and controlling behaviour,
4:55:28 > 4:55:31but there are no immediate plans in Northern Ireland
4:55:31 > 4:55:33to introduce similar legislation.
4:55:33 > 4:55:37I think I'll go back and I'll ring her again and just offer maybe
4:55:37 > 4:55:41a bit more support, knowing the extra stuff there we've heard and...
4:55:41 > 4:55:45Keeping survivors of domestic violence and their children safe
4:55:45 > 4:55:48involves a whole range of agencies who meet regularly.
4:55:48 > 4:55:52The resources are huge, it costs society millions,
4:55:52 > 4:55:53never mind the human cost.
4:55:55 > 4:55:58An ambulance was tasked and she was taken to hospital.
4:55:58 > 4:55:59She had a fractured wrist,
4:55:59 > 4:56:03which she stated was the result of a recent fall.
4:56:03 > 4:56:06Around this table are social workers, police,
4:56:06 > 4:56:10the Housing Executive and probation officers.
4:56:10 > 4:56:14Along with organisations like Women's Aid, they help survivors
4:56:14 > 4:56:17pick up their lives and assess any further risks to them.
4:56:19 > 4:56:22From our point of view, we could offer temporary accommodation,
4:56:22 > 4:56:24put her in a fully-furnished property,
4:56:24 > 4:56:26and get her out of the situation she's in.
4:56:26 > 4:56:28We could look at extra security,
4:56:28 > 4:56:31just make her as safe as possible in her new home.
4:56:37 > 4:56:41Today, I'm going to visit someone who ended up in a refuge.
4:56:41 > 4:56:45For her and for her children, it was a terrifying experience.
4:56:45 > 4:56:47She's a highly-qualified person
4:56:47 > 4:56:51and her abuser is a highly-qualified professional as well.
4:57:00 > 4:57:03Julie Ann had three children from her first marriage,
4:57:03 > 4:57:07when she met Juan Augusto 12 years ago, here in Northern Ireland
4:57:07 > 4:57:09and lived in County Down.
4:57:12 > 4:57:17Juan, will you take Julie Ann to be your wife?
4:57:17 > 4:57:20They later got married and had two children of their own,
4:57:20 > 4:57:22one of whom has learning difficulties.
4:57:24 > 4:57:26Juan Augusto is a university professor
4:57:26 > 4:57:29and Julie Ann is a health care manager.
4:57:29 > 4:57:33When Julie Ann then began to study part-time to further her career,
4:57:33 > 4:57:35it was a problem for Juan.
4:57:37 > 4:57:39If I needed to travel for work,
4:57:39 > 4:57:44then it was really just absolutely not supported. In fact, it was
4:57:44 > 4:57:48- deemed to be really quite unreasonable.- Mm-hm.
4:57:48 > 4:57:52And, in fact, he once said I was only doing my PhD
4:57:52 > 4:57:55- to compete with him! - SHE LAUGHS
4:57:55 > 4:57:59As tensions rose over Julie Ann's career,
4:57:59 > 4:58:01and Juan's controlling behaviour escalated,
4:58:01 > 4:58:03he accused her of being unfaithful.
4:58:05 > 4:58:08There were, um...
4:58:08 > 4:58:14issues, always as an undercurrent, which frequently surfaced.
4:58:14 > 4:58:17He was absolutely convinced I was having an affair,
4:58:17 > 4:58:20which, I mean, is just absolutely ludicrous.
4:58:20 > 4:58:23Thanks to life, that has given me so much...
4:58:23 > 4:58:27One day, Julie Ann arrived home to find Juan in a dark mood.
4:58:29 > 4:58:32When she tried to talk to him, she says he became angry.
4:58:32 > 4:58:34He started charging towards me.
4:58:34 > 4:58:38I could hear him coming back towards me.
4:58:38 > 4:58:44And I faced him and he had this horrendous blackness to his face.
4:58:44 > 4:58:49You know, I mean, anger and, um, his arms outstretched.
4:58:52 > 4:58:58He put his hands around my throat and pushed me up against the wall.
4:58:58 > 4:59:02And the last thing I remember, Judith, was thinking,
4:59:02 > 4:59:06"I hope he doesn't know to carry on strangling after I'm unconscious."
4:59:08 > 4:59:10And then...
4:59:10 > 4:59:16when I came round, I was on the floor, which is a tiled floor,
4:59:16 > 4:59:19and I could feel the blows raining down,
4:59:19 > 4:59:22and he was stamping on me and punching me,
4:59:22 > 4:59:25and he put his hands into my mouth
4:59:25 > 4:59:29and proceeded to try and pull my teeth out,
4:59:29 > 4:59:33and that was absolutely excruciating.
4:59:33 > 4:59:37His wedding ring, um, broke these teeth here.
4:59:39 > 4:59:41He started hitting again.
4:59:41 > 4:59:46And I said, "Juan, I'm sorry, please stop."
4:59:47 > 4:59:53I didn't scream, it was probably not very loud and, at that point,
4:59:53 > 5:00:00it's almost that he became, um, just without any control at all.
5:00:04 > 5:00:06The beating only stopped
5:00:06 > 5:00:09because their eight-year-old daughter intervened.
5:00:11 > 5:00:13She started screaming,
5:00:13 > 5:00:17really, really, really bloodcurdling screaming.
5:00:17 > 5:00:19Consciousness was returning.
5:00:21 > 5:00:25And then, I knew it was her, because she said, you know,
5:00:25 > 5:00:28"Stop it, Pappy, stop it!" in a very demanding way,
5:00:28 > 5:00:30and punctuating her screams.
5:00:32 > 5:00:39I opened my eyes and just saw a sea of blood over the tiled floor.
5:00:39 > 5:00:43Julie Ann managed to flee in absolute terror from the house
5:00:43 > 5:00:45and dialled 999.
5:00:55 > 5:00:56SHE WAILS
5:01:04 > 5:01:09She was taken to hospital and the police came to take a statement.
5:01:09 > 5:01:12Her husband had also called the emergency services.
5:01:26 > 5:01:28He was arrested and charged.
5:01:29 > 5:01:33He told the police he had had "a moment of insanity".
5:01:33 > 5:01:36- What sort of injuries did you have? Can you tell us about those?- Yes.
5:01:36 > 5:01:41Well, I had broken teeth and a non-displaced fracture of my nose.
5:01:41 > 5:01:45Um, my complete head, though you could only see the face,
5:01:45 > 5:01:49my complete head was just one enormous bruise.
5:01:50 > 5:01:56I had 22 individual and really significant contusions
5:01:56 > 5:01:59across my torso and arm.
5:01:59 > 5:02:02Very, very painful to try and breathe.
5:02:02 > 5:02:05I was really sore, I was really sore.
5:02:06 > 5:02:11I was actually quite worried for Juan as well, um...
5:02:11 > 5:02:15You know, I had genuinely driven home that night thinking,
5:02:15 > 5:02:18"I can't wait to see him. I love my husband so much."
5:02:18 > 5:02:21And...and then, in the hospital, I was thinking, you know,
5:02:21 > 5:02:24"What are the police going to do to him?!
5:02:24 > 5:02:28"He must've gone mad! What's happened?"
5:02:29 > 5:02:33'Julie Ann and her children left the family home for their own safety.'
5:02:35 > 5:02:41I went to live in a women's refuge in Bangor.
5:02:45 > 5:02:49The women in there were priceless.
5:02:49 > 5:02:51But it was not home.
5:02:52 > 5:02:56It was a very tearful moment, looking into a wicker basket with...
5:02:56 > 5:03:01new towels and soap and toothbrushes and things that weren't mine,
5:03:01 > 5:03:04but had been donated by other women.
5:03:07 > 5:03:08And we had to rely on them.
5:03:10 > 5:03:13And then, um...
5:03:13 > 5:03:16to be given a food parcel
5:03:16 > 5:03:19that had been collected by people in a church.
5:03:23 > 5:03:27The support from Women's Aid helped Julie Ann and her children
5:03:27 > 5:03:32get their lives back together, but her ordeal was far from over.
5:03:37 > 5:03:40I'm on my way to Londonderry to meet Marie Brown of Women's Aid
5:03:40 > 5:03:43where a lot of pioneering work is going on.
5:03:45 > 5:03:49Derry has one of the highest rates of reported domestic violence
5:03:49 > 5:03:50in Northern Ireland.
5:03:52 > 5:03:56Marie told me that many women who arrive on the doorstep
5:03:56 > 5:04:00find themselves at greater risk, because they're expecting a baby.
5:04:00 > 5:04:03Sometimes, there's a jealousy of the pregnancy,
5:04:03 > 5:04:06because it's taken her attention away,
5:04:06 > 5:04:10or a jealousy even of the children, because she's not able to function
5:04:10 > 5:04:13to meet his needs in the same way, cos their appearance changes,
5:04:13 > 5:04:17they put on weight, they're not perfect, you know, and even
5:04:17 > 5:04:21the emotional attacks on them about they're fat, they're lazy,
5:04:21 > 5:04:25when really they're just pregnant women who need supported and loved
5:04:25 > 5:04:29and, you know, and cherished and that's quite a difficult...
5:04:29 > 5:04:34And even after having the baby, I mean, one story stands to my mind
5:04:34 > 5:04:37where a young woman came out after having a Caesarean
5:04:37 > 5:04:39and he ripped her staples out,
5:04:39 > 5:04:43because she refused to go and get him alcohol.
5:04:43 > 5:04:47Is it possible, actually, to come out the other end and survive?
5:04:47 > 5:04:50It's important for all women out there
5:04:50 > 5:04:52to know that they can survive this
5:04:52 > 5:04:56and, you know, and it's one of the things that we would say to women
5:04:56 > 5:05:00going through court, um, as terrible as all of this is,
5:05:00 > 5:05:04it's going to be over and you're going to come out the other end.
5:05:07 > 5:05:10'Convicted perpetrators are dealt with by Probation,
5:05:10 > 5:05:14'but the NSPCC has a role as well. It tries to help men
5:05:14 > 5:05:17'who recognise they have a problem and want to change.
5:05:17 > 5:05:20'It's rare for one to talk on camera.
5:05:20 > 5:05:24'Jim, not his real name, chose not to reveal his identity
5:05:24 > 5:05:27'and his voice has been disguised.'
5:05:27 > 5:05:30Tell us about the relationship you had with your partner.
5:05:33 > 5:05:36I had a very good relationship with my partner.
5:05:36 > 5:05:39It was a very happy, very loving,
5:05:39 > 5:05:41caring relationship.
5:05:41 > 5:05:43What actually happened, Jim?
5:05:43 > 5:05:46Um, we had a lovely family day...
5:05:48 > 5:05:50..and the drinking went late on into the night.
5:05:52 > 5:05:53And we had an argument.
5:05:54 > 5:05:57And the argument turned to physical abuse.
5:05:59 > 5:06:00So what exactly happened?
5:06:03 > 5:06:05HE HESITATES
5:06:09 > 5:06:11I wanted to retrieve my child
5:06:11 > 5:06:14from my ex-partner, as things were heated.
5:06:15 > 5:06:18There was screaming and shouting.
5:06:18 > 5:06:19Um...
5:06:20 > 5:06:22..and she tripped...
5:06:22 > 5:06:23she fell...
5:06:25 > 5:06:28..and actually protected the child in the fall.
5:06:30 > 5:06:32But I didn't realise this at the time
5:06:32 > 5:06:35and I went to retrieve my child.
5:06:35 > 5:06:37She wouldn't let go,
5:06:37 > 5:06:40believing I was the one actually capable of hurting my child.
5:06:40 > 5:06:44And I kicked my ex-partner until she let go.
5:06:44 > 5:06:45Where did you kick her?
5:06:46 > 5:06:49In the chest, the neck and face and head.
5:06:52 > 5:06:55She had multiple breaks and fractures in her cheeks
5:06:55 > 5:06:57and her nose and her sinuses.
5:06:57 > 5:07:01There was quite a severe amount of damage caused,
5:07:01 > 5:07:03a lot of swelling, bruising.
5:07:04 > 5:07:06And what would you say
5:07:06 > 5:07:09perhaps to a woman who is in an abusive relationship?
5:07:12 > 5:07:15I'd tell her to walk away now and go and get help.
5:07:23 > 5:07:26I've just come out of a... really difficult conversation,
5:07:26 > 5:07:29which was hard to listen to, with Jim.
5:07:29 > 5:07:32At one level, he's an ordinary guy,
5:07:32 > 5:07:34probably a nice guy if you met him for the first time,
5:07:34 > 5:07:37but at another level, at the flick of a switch,
5:07:37 > 5:07:41he kicks his partner repeatedly in the chest and head
5:07:41 > 5:07:45and all the time while she's holding this very young toddler.
5:07:45 > 5:07:48And I'm left thinking, "What if? What if he'd missed?
5:07:48 > 5:07:51"What if he'd hit the child?" Bad as the injuries were to his partner,
5:07:51 > 5:07:56it could've been so much worse, and I asked him, I probed him,
5:07:56 > 5:08:00"What was the cause of this anger? Where did it come from?"
5:08:00 > 5:08:02But he just didn't want to go there.
5:08:09 > 5:08:11It's almost a year after Julie Ann
5:08:11 > 5:08:14was attacked by her husband Professor Juan Augusto.
5:08:16 > 5:08:18Today, she will face him in court.
5:08:19 > 5:08:24Revisiting those terrifying events will be a painful experience for her.
5:08:24 > 5:08:27He is charged with assault, occasioning actual bodily harm,
5:08:27 > 5:08:29and could go to jail.
5:08:30 > 5:08:34But finding closure and justice can be an agonising process.
5:08:35 > 5:08:38I'm feeling OK, but a wee bit stressed, really...
5:08:38 > 5:08:41- I'll bet you are. - ..and quite emotional.- Yeah.
5:08:41 > 5:08:45So have you been churning events over in your head?
5:08:45 > 5:08:47I haven't. I think it's just a fear for today.
5:08:47 > 5:08:50You know, I really just don't want to see him again.
5:08:55 > 5:09:00'But her fear of meeting him was unfounded - he failed to turn up.
5:09:00 > 5:09:02'The judge decided to go ahead with the case
5:09:02 > 5:09:03'and heard all the evidence.
5:09:05 > 5:09:09'Juan was convicted and sentenced to three months in jail.
5:09:09 > 5:09:13'A warrant was issued for his arrest in England, where he now lives.'
5:09:15 > 5:09:18One month later, Juan Augusto did appear in court.
5:09:18 > 5:09:22He pleaded guilty to the charge of actual bodily harm,
5:09:22 > 5:09:25but appealed against his jail sentence, claiming that his wife
5:09:25 > 5:09:29had exaggerated the severity of the attack on her.
5:09:29 > 5:09:32It meant that Julie Ann would have to come back to court
5:09:32 > 5:09:35four weeks later to face a man she now feared.
5:09:35 > 5:09:37The strain was clearly telling.
5:09:46 > 5:09:49Absolutely terrified. Really, really frightened today, actually.
5:09:49 > 5:09:52I feel worse today than I did last time.
5:09:59 > 5:10:02But once again, Julie Ann's hopes of closure
5:10:02 > 5:10:05and a chance to move on with her life were crushed.
5:10:05 > 5:10:10After some deliberation, the judge decided to give both parties time to
5:10:10 > 5:10:12"agree the facts of the attack"
5:10:12 > 5:10:15or the case would go to a full hearing yet again.
5:10:19 > 5:10:22Ten days later, Augusto did finally agree
5:10:22 > 5:10:25to his wife's account of what actually happened.
5:10:27 > 5:10:30It's been a real test of endurance.
5:10:30 > 5:10:33You know, there are very many days where I just think...
5:10:33 > 5:10:35I just wish it would go away and I wish it was over
5:10:35 > 5:10:39and I would never have expected that, um...
5:10:39 > 5:10:41you could be put on such a journey.
5:10:41 > 5:10:45You know, the attack was one thing which I hadn't expected,
5:10:45 > 5:10:50but equally, my expectations of what happened to you afterwards,
5:10:50 > 5:10:53they're just... I couldn't have imagined it
5:10:53 > 5:10:56and it is a test of endurance.
5:10:56 > 5:11:00It is a test of endurance, um, but... I just...
5:11:00 > 5:11:04I just hope he... he genuinely is remorseful
5:11:04 > 5:11:08and that, whatever sentence is passed on Friday,
5:11:08 > 5:11:11that he's given time to reflect on, actually,
5:11:11 > 5:11:15the extent of the devastation he brought to the family, so...
5:11:20 > 5:11:23Juan Augusto was given 100 hours community service
5:11:23 > 5:11:24and two years probation.
5:11:28 > 5:11:32But what if he began a new relationship?
5:11:32 > 5:11:34Would his new partner have any way
5:11:34 > 5:11:36of knowing about his previous history?
5:11:38 > 5:11:41It turns out that there is a way. It's known as Clare's Law.
5:11:41 > 5:11:45In England and Wales, a woman can ask the police and other agencies
5:11:45 > 5:11:49to check on a partner's past, if they feel they might be at risk.
5:11:49 > 5:11:51But that law doesn't exist here
5:11:51 > 5:11:54and neither does the coercive control law.
5:11:56 > 5:11:57- Hi, George.- Hello, how are you?
5:11:57 > 5:11:59- Good to see you again. - Lovely to see you again.
5:11:59 > 5:12:02- Yeah!- Welcome back to Antrim Road. - How are you?- I'm very well.
5:12:02 > 5:12:04It's good to be back in a police station.
5:12:04 > 5:12:05BOTH LAUGH
5:12:05 > 5:12:09- I can't say it's been painted! - SHE LAUGHS: No.
5:12:11 > 5:12:13I think Clare's Law comes from
5:12:13 > 5:12:15a very well thought through premise,
5:12:15 > 5:12:18which is, the more information people have, the better decisions
5:12:18 > 5:12:21they can make that keep themselves and children safer.
5:12:21 > 5:12:24So I think, about passing information to people that
5:12:24 > 5:12:27care about someone who may be the victim or survivor of abuse,
5:12:27 > 5:12:32or the potential victim or survivor of abuse, is a good thing.
5:12:32 > 5:12:37I think society needs to make it clear that it won't tolerate abuse,
5:12:37 > 5:12:41and how society makes its opinions known is through law.
5:12:41 > 5:12:45So I think, professionally and organisationally, we'd welcome a law
5:12:45 > 5:12:49that says coercive control is inappropriate,
5:12:49 > 5:12:50it will be prosecuted.
5:12:50 > 5:12:53Coercive control is something that many people may be experiencing
5:12:53 > 5:12:56and perhaps don't themselves recognise, so it's helpful
5:12:56 > 5:13:00to reflect on what a healthy relationship looks like.
5:13:00 > 5:13:02'But despite all the positive action
5:13:02 > 5:13:05'to curb what is a scourge on our society, George believes
5:13:05 > 5:13:09'there are still many victims who have yet to come forward.'
5:13:11 > 5:13:15We're talking about 30% of our cases not being reported to us.
5:13:15 > 5:13:19There's a lot of abuse being visited upon people
5:13:19 > 5:13:21who aren't getting the necessary help from the police service.
5:13:29 > 5:13:33Many women suffer in silence and it becomes a guilty secret.
5:13:35 > 5:13:39Anna Lo was one of Northern Ireland's high-profile politicians...
5:13:42 > 5:13:44Anna Lo has reached the quota
5:13:44 > 5:13:47- and is deemed elected. - CHEERING
5:13:47 > 5:13:51..with a reputation for standing up to bullies and paramilitaries.
5:13:51 > 5:13:58This is an excuse, we believe, of some elements in Northern Ireland
5:13:58 > 5:14:04to try to intimidate and alienate ethnic minority people here.
5:14:07 > 5:14:10For the first time, she has decided to speak publicly
5:14:10 > 5:14:14about her own experience as a victim of domestic violence
5:14:14 > 5:14:18and the breakdown of her marriage to local businessman Gavin Millar.
5:14:19 > 5:14:23It was more a... controlling personality,
5:14:23 > 5:14:27compounded by a short fuse and a bad temper.
5:14:27 > 5:14:34Um, I left him twice, really, after the results of violence.
5:14:34 > 5:14:39On the first occasion, um, he was in a bit of a rage, really.
5:14:39 > 5:14:45I jumped out of the car when he stopped to turn right and I got out
5:14:45 > 5:14:49and then, he turned round... turned the car round
5:14:49 > 5:14:55and, er, then he grabbed me, literally dragged me to the car
5:14:55 > 5:14:59and punched me inside the car and I got winded.
5:14:59 > 5:15:05Um, so there were always excuses, you know, for bad behaviour.
5:15:05 > 5:15:09Then I...then I left him.
5:15:09 > 5:15:14Not immediately, I left him and then I went back to him
5:15:14 > 5:15:20after he had received some months of counselling and therapy.
5:15:20 > 5:15:23Then we decided, actually, to get married.
5:15:23 > 5:15:26We married in July 2010.
5:15:26 > 5:15:29Some might say, why on earth did you marry him?
5:15:31 > 5:15:34I married him, because there were good times too.
5:15:34 > 5:15:41And also, I always felt he loved me and I loved him and you forgive.
5:15:41 > 5:15:45Um, but then, a year later, he hit me
5:15:45 > 5:15:49and when, I turned round - to get away, really, from him -
5:15:49 > 5:15:55he pushed me and I felt very angry, not just of the assault,
5:15:55 > 5:15:59but also the fact that I could not tell people.
5:15:59 > 5:16:04I was covering up for him, I was lying to people,
5:16:04 > 5:16:07how I was signed off for weeks.
5:16:07 > 5:16:13Um, but I told him that, if he ever hit me again,
5:16:13 > 5:16:16I would just leave him and it happened again in November.
5:16:16 > 5:16:22That was really about 16 months after we got married, in July 2010.
5:16:22 > 5:16:26It was almost a light bulb moment, Judith, for me.
5:16:26 > 5:16:30Then I just thought, yes, there would always be...
5:16:30 > 5:16:35an excuse for hitting me and, if I don't leave now,
5:16:35 > 5:16:38my life could be in danger.
5:16:38 > 5:16:41He was also controlling.
5:16:41 > 5:16:48He admitted to being jealous when we went out together
5:16:48 > 5:16:53on functions and events, when people just wanted to talk to me.
5:16:53 > 5:16:58So he behaved, on occasions, quite badly, even in public,
5:16:58 > 5:17:03um, really feeling that he was being left out.
5:17:03 > 5:17:08And I have always, all my life, been honest
5:17:08 > 5:17:14and to lie, and to keep up a lie, made me feel ashamed of myself.
5:17:14 > 5:17:19And it was that...really that anger that made me think twice
5:17:19 > 5:17:26and say, "Right, yes, I had a beautiful home, and a good life,
5:17:26 > 5:17:29"I'm walking away, I'm going to lose a lot of money.
5:17:29 > 5:17:33"I'm going to lose half of my home," which really belonged to me.
5:17:34 > 5:17:37But I know I had to leave.
5:17:37 > 5:17:39I know that, if I didn't, it will...
5:17:39 > 5:17:43I know it would happen again and again and again.
5:17:43 > 5:17:45Anna Lo did not press charges.
5:17:45 > 5:17:49I asked her ex-husband to take part, but he declined.
5:17:49 > 5:17:51He strongly refuted Anna's account,
5:17:51 > 5:17:54but acknowledged there were difficulties in the marriage.
5:17:59 > 5:18:02Changes in the law take time.
5:18:02 > 5:18:05Meanwhile, victims of attacks have got to get on with their lives.
5:18:05 > 5:18:07THEY LAUGH
5:18:07 > 5:18:08Since I spoke to Rosie,
5:18:08 > 5:18:12her ex-partner has been released from jail.
5:18:12 > 5:18:14He has continued to harass her.
5:18:14 > 5:18:16She has reported it to the police.
5:18:16 > 5:18:20Despite this, she feels she is in a better place.
5:18:20 > 5:18:25'I've reconnected with my family and my sisters and my brothers.
5:18:25 > 5:18:26'So that's something
5:18:26 > 5:18:29'that's really important to me at the moment, like.'
5:18:29 > 5:18:33Just the simple things, you know, just being able to leave the house
5:18:33 > 5:18:36and go for a cup of coffee without having to ask permission
5:18:36 > 5:18:39or be afraid that, you know, I'm going to be accused that
5:18:39 > 5:18:43I'm going to meet a fella and not going to meet my sister, you know.
5:18:43 > 5:18:46And I know it's scary, the thought of leaving
5:18:46 > 5:18:50and what's out there afterwards, but it's...
5:18:50 > 5:18:52You know, it's more scary staying.
5:18:52 > 5:18:55When you do leave, life does get better.
5:18:55 > 5:18:57You have to make that step, you have to do it.
5:18:59 > 5:19:01But being a mother to her children again is
5:19:01 > 5:19:03the one thing she wants above all else.
5:19:05 > 5:19:08I just want to walk down the street with them.
5:19:08 > 5:19:10Holding their hands and have no social workers around
5:19:10 > 5:19:14and just walk down being a proud mummy and just...
5:19:14 > 5:19:17just show the world, "These are my children."
5:19:17 > 5:19:19That's all I want to do and I've always said it -
5:19:19 > 5:19:21I just want to walk down the street with my children.
5:19:26 > 5:19:28'Anna Lo has put the past behind her
5:19:28 > 5:19:31'and has a much more positive outlook on life.'
5:19:31 > 5:19:33- ..this lovely garden and the sunshine.- Yeah.
5:19:33 > 5:19:36'I think it is important to value yourself.'
5:19:37 > 5:19:42To feel you are someone that is important.
5:19:42 > 5:19:45You have equal rights as anybody else.
5:19:45 > 5:19:50And if someone is abusing you, why should you tolerate it?
5:19:50 > 5:19:55You may love him and he may claim to love you,
5:19:55 > 5:19:58but it needs to be an equal partnership.
5:19:58 > 5:20:03It needs to be free from intimidation and harassment.
5:20:03 > 5:20:05That is not true love.
5:20:05 > 5:20:08This type of apple, they are supposed to be, I think,
5:20:08 > 5:20:10eating apples. Well, I certainly have eaten them.
5:20:10 > 5:20:16'I'm going to really enjoy my retirement, happy and free,
5:20:16 > 5:20:19'and not feeling that...'
5:20:19 > 5:20:22I'm being restricted in some ways,
5:20:22 > 5:20:25that I always have to look over my shoulder,
5:20:25 > 5:20:30to watch out whether someone, or my partner, was in a good mood.
5:20:30 > 5:20:34Whether I should keep my mouth shut, whether I should watch my...
5:20:34 > 5:20:37my, my...my words.
5:20:37 > 5:20:42I can do what I want, when I want it, how I want it.
5:20:44 > 5:20:46SIREN WAILS
5:20:58 > 5:21:00On this journey, it's become clear to me that,
5:21:00 > 5:21:04if society is really serious about tackling domestic terror,
5:21:04 > 5:21:07some urgent steps are needed.
5:21:07 > 5:21:11Firstly, our laws must become tougher.
5:21:11 > 5:21:14Secondly, vulnerable women need to know that help is out there.
5:21:14 > 5:21:17You don't have to suffer in silence.
5:21:17 > 5:21:20And lastly, our children need to know
5:21:20 > 5:21:23that violence against women is always wrong,
5:21:23 > 5:21:27if future generations are to escape this relentless plague.