DOMESTIC violence workers today said they hope lessons are learned after a Barnsley woman was murdered by her husband while he was on bail for attacking her.
Jane Sally Lee, aged 51, was stabbed and clubbed with a baseball bat by her abusive husband Robert after their marriage broke down.
The mum-of-two, from Locke Road, Barnsley, had complained about her husband's behaviour five weeks earlier, telling
police he tried to throttle and threatened to kill her.
Yet he was grated bail by the courts pending a trial - and murdered his wife in the street in broad daylight before the case ever reached court. Lee, of Wentworth View, Wombwell, pleaded guilty to murder and was jailed for life.
He must serve at least 19 years behind bars before release.
Today Sandra Horley, chief executive of national domestic violence charity Refuge, said: "We would urge the judiciary to learn some stark lessons from this case.
"When a woman comes to the police and the courts for protection, she must be taken seriously."
She added: "Refuge believes it is essential for all judges to receive mandatory training in risk assessment for domestic violence cases. When judges make bail decisions, they need to understand that just because a woman has left her partner doesn't mean she's safe. They need to understand when she says she's afraid, only she will know the danger she is in and that the court has a duty to protect her."
She said two women are killed every week in England and Wales by a current or former partner. "A woman is at most risk of extreme violence and murder at the point of separation," she added.
A spokeswoman for Women's Aid said: "When bail is given prior to sentencing, the abused woman can be left at extreme risk. It takes a great deal of courage for a woman to go to court about domestic violence and the courts need to protect abused women."
READ MOREMain news indexThe full article contains 336 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
