A VICTIM of domestic abuse has spoken out about her attacker’s early release.
Elizabeth Hudson cricitised the Government’s decision to let her abuser out of prison before his sentence is completed.
Domestic abuse victim Elizabeth Hudson shared her frustration over her attacker’s early release during an interview on Good Morning Britain[/caption]
Elizabeth’s former partner received a six year sentence after attacking her and another domestic partner[/caption]
Appearing on Good Morning Britain, the woman explained that her ex-partner Martin Underwood is eligible for early release due to over-crowding in prisons.
“It makes no sense, no sense at all,” she told co-presenters Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley.
Elizabeth’s attacker was sentenced to six years and three months in prison after assaulting her in their South Yorkshire home in 2021.
He then went on to attack a second domestic partner while out on bail.
After serving two and a half years of his sentence, Underwood became eligible for early release, despite Government advice which stated that domestic abusers would not be considered.
“There’s no grey area in my case, it’s absolutely domestic abuse. If I hadn’t of escaped, I wouldn’t be here now. It’s that serious,” ELizabeth said.
“There’s no confusion about what this is, it’s domestic abuse, it’s really really serious domestic abuse.”
Elizabeth explained how the “freedom” she felt after her attackers trial has now disappeared.
“If you’ve been in an abusive relationship, you’ve walked on egg shells, you’ve changed your behaviour, you’ve felt controlled,” she said.
“Then [after sentencing] you’ve had a period of peace, this period of freedom where you can walk around and you’re not looking over your shoulder.
“That’s incredibly precious but you know there’s a time frame on that and for them to just reduce that is ridiculous, it is so unbelievably cruel.”
She also pointed out how the inclusion of domestic abusers in the early release scheme will affect the rates of violence in the home.
“What message does it send to other perpetrators?” she asked.
“The government talks about violence against women [saying]: ‘Let’s treat it as seriously as terrorism,’ ‘Let’s halve the amount of violence against women.’
“Then they put policies in place, they give a message that actually, it’s not that important, we don’t need to make this our number one priority.”
What are your rights if your attacker is released from jail?
If your attacker has been given a custodial sentence of at least 12 months or detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, you have the right to join the Victim Contact Scheme.
The scheme entitles you to be told if the offender has moved to an open prison or if they are being considered for release.
You can also ask for additional conditions that the offender must follow when they come out of prison, including outling exclusion zones in your area.
After the trial, you will be sent a letter asking if you want to join by your local Victim Liaison Unit.
You can also contact vcsenquiries@justice.gov.uk about joining the scheme.
The scheme will not give out details of an offender’s location after release.
She revealed that the news of her attacker’s early release has set back her mental recovery.
“It’s horrible. As you expect, after you’ve been through something like that, I’ve had lots of therapy for PTSD, all kinds of trauma,” she explained.
“I’ve worked really hard to get to a stronger, better place and this has derailed that.”
It just blew everything apart again.
Elizabeth Hudson
Elizabeth also shared her frustration over learning about the early release via letter.
“I was incredibly shocked, the letter came totally out of the blue, I had no pre-warning,” she said.
“I’d heard the statements from the government that domestic abusers weren’t going to be eligible for this so [I thought] I was safe in my little bubble, and then in early September, I got this letter.
“It just blew everything apart again.”
WHERE CAN I GET HELP?
You don’t have to suffer in silence.
If you are experiencing domestic violence or someone you know is there are groups that can help.
Refuge runs a free, 24-hour helpline on 0808 2000 247.
You can also visit the website or contact Women’s Aid.
The SDS40 Early Release Scheme could see Elizabeth’s attacker leave prison as early as December.
She revealed that the letter had no information on contesting the decision and only included contact information for the probation board relating to exclusion zones.
However, she pointed out that an exclusion zone meant revealing her home location to her attacker.
They didn’t feel that it was important enough to respond to.
Elizabeth Hudson
Elizabeth has attempted to contact Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood about the decision but hasn’t heard anything back.
“I outlined the details of the case, the fact that in the attack on his partner it was a non-fatal suffocation, a non-fatal strangulation, which are offences listed as being domestic abuse,” she said.
“We know [my email] in the system but for whatever reason, they didn’t feel that it was important enough to respond to.”
When asked what she plans to do going forward, Elizabeth said: “I’ve put everything in place that I can put in place.
“I have a lifetime restraining order so I do what I’ve always done, I crack on.”
Elizabeth has attempted to contact Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood about the decision[/caption]
Martin Underwood attacked a second woman while out on bail after the initial assault[/caption]
