A man who was made subject to a new form of court order as part of a trial has been locked up after breaching it just days later.
Greater Manchester is one of just three police force areas where Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) are being piloted. Issued by courts they are protective orders which can place restrictions on someone to protect a victim or alleged victim of abuse.
Michael Mitchell, 46, was slapped with a DAPO after being accused of domestic related offences. The prosecution against him was dropped after the alleged victim withdrew her support. But a police application for an order, which do not require a conviction, was successful.
Within days, Mitchell failed to attend Bury police station to sign on, which was one of his conditions, and also attended the woman’s home on Boxing Day. Mitchell, of no fixed abode, was arrested and hauled back before the courts, where he was jailed for eight months.
Mitchell has been jailed for breaching a Domestic Abuse Protection Order (DAPO)
(Image: Greater Manchester Police (GMP))
GMP are now hoping to have the order extended beyond his custody period to ‘ensure the victim is safeguarded even when Mitchell is released.’
A DAPO may be made by a court during ongoing criminal, family, or civil proceedings. Applications can also be made by the police, by a victim themselves or by a third party. There is no minimum or maximum period they can be in place for, and include mandatory notification requirements as well as a number of potential prohibitions.
These could include could include stopping a perpetrator from coming within a specified distance of a victim’s home and/or any specified premises, such as a workplace. They can be monitored with an electronic tag and breaching them is an arrestable, criminal offence.
They do not require someone to be convicted meaning it can allow police to intervene in cases where they may have not have been able to previously.
In regards to Mitchell’s case, GMP said: “We know victims of domestic abuse may have a variety of reasons why they don’t want to go through with criminal prosecution, and we must take a victim-centred approach.
“However, DAPOs can provide safeguarding and protection from risk to victims, without the need to go to court, and therefore we applied for one in this case.”
GMP, the Met in London and British Transport Police (BTP) are currently trialling their use. In Greater Manchester, the pilot has been led by the Domestic Abuse Teams in Bury but is now being extended into Wigan before being rolled across the whole region.
A total of seven people are currently subject to them in Greater Manchester with officers having applied for an eight. In other cases, a person was jailed for 12 weeks for not signing on whilst another was fined for not doing so.
Detective Superintendent Toby Facey, force lead for domestic abuse, said: “We are already starting to see what a difference DAPOs can make to victims of all kinds of domestic abuse, and I know this will continue as we begin rolling the pilot out further in Greater Manchester.
“It’s important that we are robust in the enforcement of these orders, ensuring all breaches are swiftly dealt with, and perpetrators held to account for their actions. The fact that we have seen only this week such a significant custodial sentence passed for breaching one of these orders shows how seriously these are being treated by the criminal justice system, and the punishments perpetrators may face.
“The pilot in Bury will continue, as we now extend this into Wigan, where we unfortunately have higher levels of domestic abuse reports.
“Our plan is to have DAPOs available in all areas of Greater Manchester in the coming months, in what will be the biggest pilot of these orders in the UK. This is an important part of achieving the policing priorities within the city-region’s Gender-Based Violence Strategy.”
If you’re experiencing domestic abuse, below you’ll find a list of organisations who can assist you:
Call the UK police non-emergency number, 101, if you need support or advice from the police and it’s not an emergency. If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service on 18001 101.
Greater Manchester Domestic Abuse Helpline – Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm, except bank holidays. For anyone experiencing domestic abuse. Includes a language service and advice for the LGBT community.
End the Fear – Includes information on local help all over Greater Manchester.
Wigan and Leigh Dias drop-in centre – Works with women and men who are experiencing or recovering from domestic violence and abusive relationships and helps them to regain control of the situation.
Other support available can be found via: www.gmp.police.uk.