Judges to name and shame domestic abusers in court records for the first time

Prior to this, domestic abuse was not consistently recorded or flagged in court cases, thus making it more complicated for officials to exempt perpetrators from early release schemes.

Announcing the proposals in The Telegraph, Justice Secretary Alex Norris said the British public needs "a system that works".

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "Domestic abuse is already recognised as an aggravating factor in a wide range of offences, such as assault or stalking, but until now there has been no consistent way to record this once an offender is convicted.

"This makes it harder to identify abusers, manage the risks they pose and identify patterns of repeat offending.

"Under the new measures, the courts must now state in open court when an offence involves domestic abuse, creating for the first time a single, clear court record that can be shared across the criminal justice system."

The proposals would also help probation officers devise restriction or exclusion zones to protect victims from their perpetrators.

The rules would change the system for domestic abusers

GETTY

Any offence flagged by the court system would be shared with relevant partners and agencies and appear on police, probation, and prison digital systems.

Officials hope this would then give front-line staff a better picture of an offender’s history, so they can assess and manage risk effectively and better identify repeat domestic abuse offenders.

Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones said: "Too many victims have suffered because patterns of abusive behaviour have not always been recognised across the justice system.

"This is an important step towards better identifying dangerous perpetrators, protecting victims and delivering on our commitment to halve violence against women and girls."

Welcoming the proposals, Dame Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner, said: "This marks a step change in our ability to track domestic abuse perpetrators through the criminal justice system, something I have long called for.

"Not only will it enable us to better identify and respond to harmful behaviour, but it will also help ensure victims receive the right level of support they need, while giving us a clearer picture of how pervasive domestic abuse is within our justice system.

"That insight is crucial if we are to better protect victims and hold perpetrators to account."

Writing in The Times, Alex Norris said: "This Government has been pulling every lever: investing at record levels, and uncapping sitting days in the Crown Court, so that it can hear as many cases as possible.

"Working with the judiciary, we are modernising the system, harnessing AI to schedule cases more efficiently, and introducing better video technology so more hearings can take place remotely."

It comes after the Justice Secretary was unable to say definitively how many prisoners freed early from jail have been tagged.

Asked how many of those released so far had been tagged, Mr Norris told the BBC: “I don’t have that figure today; it only happened on Thursday. You know, there can be a bit of a lag.

“We don’t have that number. But you know, we’re very candid about who’s leaving prison and when they do.”

Asked if he knew if released domestic abusers have been tagged or not, he said: “It would be too soon to know that, as it was only on Thursday. We’ve been talking to every victim to offer them the chance to say what controls they’d like to see over that individual."