Proposed law change will protect abusive men who push women to suicide, campaigners warn
Men whose abusive behaviour drives women to take their own lives are more likely to get away with their crimes because of proposed law changes, justice campaigners say.Ministers want to make it harder for inquests to pass verdicts of unlawful killing, which have been crucial in getting justice for women who killed themselves after suffering abuse.In October last year, Georgia Barter was found to have been unlawfully killed after suffering a decade of domestic violence and abuse.In 2023, an inquest found that Kellie Sutton, whose death was classed originally as a suicide, was unlawfully killed after suffering domestic abuse.The unlawful killing verdicts followed campaigns by the families of the women.
Harriet Wistrich, the head of the Centre for Women’s Justice, said: “We strongly oppose any reversal of the standard of proof for unlawful killing in inquest verdicts, which would set back the cause of highlighting the issue of recognising the role that domestic abuse plays in relation to the suicides of many women.“The government’s white paper on policing contains some positive proposed reforms but is badly let down by this concession to the police lobby.”The plans are part of a package of measures that the government wants to pass to ease the fears of police officers that they will be prosecuted after using force.But justice groups say they will also have a damaging effect on women.The changes to make it harder to take action against police follow a Metropolitan police firearms officer, Martyn Blake, being put on trial for murder after shooting dead Chris Kaba, who was unarmed, while he was in a car penned in by police vehicles.
Blake was acquitted in 2024, though if the verdict had been different police chiefs and ministers feared armed officers would walk out in protest, endangering the safety of the capital.The new measures, Wistrich said, would also help officers who were a threat to women stay in their police jobs.“At a time when the government have expressed a strong commitment to tackling the culture of misogyny, racism and homophobia within policing that has allowed perpetrators such as David Carrick to continue serving within the police despite past allegations against them, including excessive use of force, the proposal to weaken mechanisms for individual officer accountability is alarming,” Wistrich said.The call for the government to think again is supported in a letter to the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, by a coalition including Amnesty International, Black Lives Matter UK, the Centre for Women’s Justice and Inquest, which helps families bereaved after state contact.The letter said that the government has accepted “a one-sided argument in lockstep with the police lobby”, and only a small fraction of complaints led to investigation.
It added: “Police use of force is continually increasing, with over 812,000 recorded uses in 2024-25, a rise of 9% on the previous year.Black people experience police use of force at over three times the rate of white people.”Deborah Coles, the executive director of Inquest, said: “Changing the law to please the police lobby – at the expense of bereaved people and victims – will simply advance the culture of impunity.“This letter reflects our dismay at the government’s plans to weaken police accountability in the face of well-documented misogyny, racism and violence.”Mohannad Bashir, whose brother died after being restrained by Gwent police, against whom no wrongdoing was found, said: “Mouayed’s death continues to have a huge impact on me and my family but the system favours the police more than bereaved families.
”A Home Office spokesperson said: “We know there’s more to do to maintain both public and police confidence in police accountability.That’s why we’ll be commissioning an independent, fundamental end-to-end review of the police misconduct system.”
‘Wherefore art thou?’: France look to restore identity with outing to Romeo and Juliet
A night at the opera may not be to every Frenchman’s taste these days, but for Fabien Galthié the outing will have been an integral part of his team’s Six Nations finale preparations.Two evenings out from their clash against England, Les Bleus were set to leave their training camp to watch rehearsals for a performance of the ballet Romeo and Juliet at the Opéra Garnier in central Paris. “It’s important for us to take a step back,” the head coach explained. “We’re going to be meeting the lead dancers, watching them at work, speaking to them, and experiencing that legendary venue.”Galthié also highlighted the need for a change of scenery after seven weeks holed up in the sleepy village of Marcoussis
Pakistan’s Abrar signed by IPL-linked team at Hundred men’s auction – as it happened
I think we’ll wrap things up there. James Coles hasn’t played for England yet but he’s 21, bowls left-arm tweakers and has eight first-class tons. That promise has resulted in a £390,000 deal with London Spirit, the most expensive of the auction. But the most noteworthy signing remains that of Abrar Ahmed – the Pakistan spinner was picked up by SunRisers Leeds, an IPL-affiliated team, for £190,000. Is the world healing? Probably not, but it’s something
Cheltenham festival day three: Home By the Lee and Heart Wood win big races – as it happened
I’ll leave you with Greg Wood’s report on a day packed with surprise winners, absent favourites, tetchy trainers and topped off with an awkward handshake. Join us again tomorrow. Bye!It’s never too early to start prepping for Gold Cup day. I’ll be back to guide you through another day of drama.Cheltenham 5
Cheltenham jockeys in alleged racism row bid to bury hatchet but inquiry continues
Declan Queally and Nico de Boinville appeared to resolve their differences on Thursday after an angry and controversial exchange of words before the start of the first race on Wednesday.Queally lodged a complaint with the stewards that he had received verbal abuse from De Boinville, some of which was of a racial nature, when he lined up against the running rail shortly before the field was due to set off for the Grade One contest.The two riders shook hands in the weighing room at Cheltenham, however, and told ITV Racing afterwards that their issues have been resolved.“All sorted, it was the heat of the moment and all is forgiven,” Queally said. “Best of luck to Nico in the future
Snow joke: Winter Paralympics athletes angry at scheduling as big thaw hits
In Cortina d’Ampezzo, the thaw is on. With daytime temperatures reaching double figures in celsius, snow is disappearing from the hillsides and the “torrenti” of ice melt have started to flow once again.Traditionally a time of year when snowfall can be at its heaviest, there has been none since the Winter Paralympics began. The Games have not been insulated from the consequences.Last weekend the course at the Cortina snowboard park, about 1,450m above sea level, had to be redesigned the night before competition because it had proved too dangerous in training due to snow melting then refreezing overnight as ice
Harry Redknapp dares to dream of Gold Cup glory with The Jukebox Man
Harry Redknapp was in a reflective mood after watching Taurus Bay, his first runner at this year’s meeting, finish among the also-rans in Wednesday’s Turners Novices’ Hurdle. It was a decent performance – Taurus Bay was a 33-1 shot, after all – but it was the disappointing run by the favourite, No Drama This End, that was on Redknapp’s mind as he looked forward to his second runner on Friday: The Jukebox Man, one of the favourites for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.“It’s scary, isn’t it?” Redknapp said. “Max McNeill [the owner of No Drama this End], he’s the most lovely man, he had the favourite there and I know how he’s been. I saw him before the race, all the expectations, and he ends up tailed off
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