Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Domestic Abuse Aggravated Offences

Wednesday 3 September 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Calum Miller expressed concern about the criminal justice system aggravating trauma for victims of domestic abuse.
  • Julie Minns raised the issue of child-to-parent abuse and the need for clearer definitions and understanding.
  • The Minister acknowledged the importance of addressing child-to-parent abuse and the rise in mothers being killed by their sons.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Calum Miller Lib Dem Bicester and Woodstock
Justice & Courts
Context

The MP is concerned about the treatment of victims by the criminal justice system, citing specific cases where early release of offenders or delays in trials have caused further trauma.

Question

I am sickened by the frequency with which I hear from victims and survivors of domestic abuse about the ways in which the criminal justice system has aggravated their trauma. One constituent recently told me that she was living in fear after her abuser was released early and the Probation Service failed to enforce probation conditions. Another has seen the charges against her ex-partner scheduled for criminal trial in two years’ time, and in the meantime he continues to exert control through the family courts. Will the Minister meet me to review what has gone wrong in those two cases and what lessons can be learned about how to use identifiers of aggravation to give victims and survivors more protection?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Alex Davies-Jones)

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that question and for all his work to amplify the voices of victims and survivors. Like him, I am sickened by the treatment of the majority of women and girls who go through this in our criminal justice system. He will know that we inherited a criminal justice system in absolute crisis. That is why we conducted a once-in-a-generation review of our courts process—the Leveson review—which the Government will respond to shortly, and a once-in-a-generation sentencing review, to consider exactly the issues that he is talking about. I will happily meet him to discuss this further.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to reviewing specific cases or providing concrete lessons learned on using aggravated offence identifiers

How: Working With Partners, Will Focus On

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Q2 Julie Minns Lab Carlisle
Women & Equalities Children & Families
Context

The MP raised the issue of child-to-parent abuse, citing a constituent's case where historical domestic abuse by both partner and children went unrecognised due to lack of understanding and definition.

Question

My constituent, who had been the victim of historical domestic abuse by both her partner and her children, recently raised with me the need for a clearer understanding and definition of child-to-parent abuse. At the time of her abuse, she did not know that what her children were doing could be classified as domestic abuse, and both the police and social services failed to understand that she was the victim, not her children. Will the Minister provide an update on the work to reach a legal definition of child-to-parent abuse?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Alex Davies-Jones)

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that vital point. She will, like me, be horrified by the results of the Femicide Census report this week, which show a rise in mothers being killed by their sons. We must tackle that as a society. She will be pleased to know that what she is talking about will be in the upcoming violence against women and girls strategy.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide an update on legal definition of child-to-parent abuse, instead referring to broader strategy

How: Under Review

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