Lessons not learned after Georgia Barter driven to suicide by abuse, says her mother | Domestic violence
The family of a woman who committed suicide after years of domestic abuse was ruled to have been unlawfully killed by her partner, saying “lessons have still not been learned” after the government said it would not make changes to the way police officers use the national police database.
An investigation earlier this year revealed that Georgia Barter, 32, had been abused by Thomas Bignell for years.
The inquest in Walthamstow, London, heard that although Bignell was known to at least four police forces, officers were not always able to access information about previous reports or arrests in the police national database (PND) when called to respond to Barter-related incidents.
When he was arrested in connection with allegations of assault against him, the inquest heard officers did not appear to have the capacity or authority to check the database.
The hearing was told that the Metropolitan police and Essex police had received numerous reports of Bignell’s alleged abuse of the Barter; These included a report from a member of the public who told Essex police that Bignell had threatened to kill himself.
Bignell was arrested in 2012 after Surrey police received a report that he had shot and kicked Barter at a hotel. He was not charged in connection with the alleged attack.
Investigations have a different burden of proof than criminal courts; they decide on the balance of probabilities rather than the criminal threshold of beyond reasonable doubt.
There is no criminal process and no one is convicted or acquitted. Bignell was not charged or convicted of any crime in criminal court related to the allegations of violence against Georgia or her death.
Deputy East London coroner Dr. In her report to the Home Office, Shirley Radcliffe said: “There is difficulty for frontline officers in police forces across the country to easily access the police’s national database to check on people suspected of domestic violence.
“They cannot easily identify whether an individual has a history of domestic violence in areas outside those forces’ boundaries. This will allow police to be more proactive in their dealings with victims of domestic violence.”
In a response to the coroner’s response shared with Barter’s family, police and crime minister Sarah Jones said it was unlikely that any changes would be made to the way the PND operates.
“Data from PND is provided to frontline police officers by designated and specially trained personnel within each police force. [approximately] 12,000 licenses,” he wrote.
“The Home Office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) are working with and proactively engaging with police forces to ensure license allocations are managed effectively and provide PND access to key areas of operational policing,” he added.
“PND became operational in 2011 and is receiving regular technical upgrades. The Home Office has an up-to-date program designed to alleviate some of the current legacy challenges and stabilize this critical national infrastructure application ahead of a wider transformation of police intelligence.”
Barter’s mother, Kay Barter, said she was disappointed in the response.
“I am saddened and very worried that no changes will be implemented in the old system,” he said.
“The onus seems to be on frontline police officers to provide due care and access to PND for victims of domestic violence, but the current system is clearly not working and more lives will be lost.
“The current system is also time consuming and time is of the essence when dealing with domestic abuse. Lessons have still not been learned after the tragic death of my beloved daughter Georgia.”
