Mary* was three years old when she witnessed her father physically attack her mother, Beth*. The police arrived and arrested him for actual bodily harm, although Beth later withdrew her police report when her partner promised to attend a perpetrator prevention course.
He never did. The course leaders wrote to Beth, warning her of his absence and expressing concern for the family’s safety. They were right to be worried. The domestic abuse continued until Beth eventually left her partner shortly after, with the pair then sharing custody of Mary.
While staying with her father, Mary’s attitude towards her mother began to change, as she started echoing things her father had said about Beth. An expert commissioned by their local police force said the evidence “strongly suggests” that Beth’s abuser was subjecting their daughter to “coercive control”. But Beth’s local authority refused to help her regain full custody of her daughter, despite being aware of the abuse she had faced.
