Eastleigh MP Mims Davies has formally expressed her concerns regarding the cross-examination of Domestic Violence Victims. This follows an emergency review into how best to ban perpetrators from directly cross-examining their victims within the family court.
Mims said, ‘I, and my staff, have been struck in my constituency surgeries by the clear feedback on this anomaly around cross-examination. One of my constituents who complained about it was a former police officer. May I urge the Minister to take every step and use every tool possible to get the matter resolved as soon as possible?'
In response, Minister of State for Justice, Oliver Heald, acknowledged, ‘We all have examples—I am glad that my honourable Friend was able to get her example on the record—of cases where some form of abuse has occurred in the courts. That is unconscionable and it needs to stop. We are going to tackle this issue very urgently.’
Mims continues to take a keen interest in women’s issues such as these, both through her contributions in the Commons and as Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Women in Parliament.