Latest news with #Hanney
Extra.ie
25-05-2025
- Extra.ie
Coercive control victims 'are not being believed' by authorities
An author and coercive control survivor who suffered years of abuse at the hands of a serving garda said abused women are 'not being believed' by the authorities. Nicola Hanney spoke out after new figures provided by the DPP confirm there has been just 25 successful prosecutions since legislation making coercive control a criminal offence was enacted six years ago. This is despite separate figures which confirm more than 60,000 calls alleging coercive control were made to garda stations across the country last year alone. Pic: AlvaroOut of the 25 convictions recorded since January 2019, just two people were convicted on a sole charge of coercive control. But in these two instances, which include Ms Hanney's case, the perpetrator was originally charged with more offences. In her critically acclaimed memoir, Stronger: What Didn't Kill Me, Made Me, Ms Hanney detailed the living hell she endured at the hands of Garda Paul Moody, who was sentenced to three years and three months in prison for coercive control in 2023. This abuse included smashing up her apartment, threatening to take their newborn son away while she received cancer treatment and isolating her from her friends and family. Nicola Hanney. Pic: RTÉ Ms Hanney described coercive control an 'assault on the mind', and said it is 'shocking' more perpetrators have not been convicted. She told 'I'm one of the two [where the sole charge was coercive control]. There were more charges to start, but they were dwindled down to one charge of coercive control.' The resolute mother, who was being treated for stage four cancer at the time of her abuse ordeal, said all women 'deserve to be free'. She added: 'It's a life sentence for women, but the evidence shows they aren't being believed. Domestic abuse is not being taken seriously in the country still. Pic: Getty Images 'Two convictions [for sole coercive control] is shocking. Coercive control is an assault on your mind, it's a horrible form of abuse.' In response to queries from the Office of the DPP confirmed 'the total number of convictions recorded on our case management system for the offence of coercive control contrary to section 39 Domestic Violence Act 2018, since the enactment of the Act is 25'. Asked how many of these were for standalone coercive control convictions, a spokeswoman confirmed: 'Just two.' Nicola Hanney. Photo: RTÉ. In stark contrast to the low level of convictions, gardaí confirmed that provisional figures show there 'in excess of 61,000 domestic abuse-related contacts in 2024' to stations across the country. Ms Hanney, who continues to advocate for abused women, said she is 'not surprised at all by low levels of convictions' given the stories she hears from victims. She added: 'People are begging me for help, they feel they are not being believed and some just give up because of that. 'I can understand why women give up and live a life of hell. It's like you're being defeated all the time.' Ms Hanney warned that, unless the justice system changes, 'women are going to take their own lives. And what about the children who are witnessing the abuse? It will have a lifelong effect on them.' She told 'It should be a human right you're protected. But my heart is broken for these women. The lack of convictions in sending out terrible message.'
The Advertiser
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Council's deep dive: review finds Newcastle pools' tender process 'compliant'
A CONTROVERSIAL tender awarded to BlueFit to manage City of Newcastle's five inland pools was "compliant", an independent review has found. Davidson Business Advisory was brought on to independently review the council's policies, processes and procedures. While regular pool users previously described the council's handling of the tender process as "disappointing" and "mind-boggling", Davidson found the tender process adhered to council policy and the Local Government Act. "The City of Newcastle has developed a detailed Inland Pool Strategy 2043, which we believe is of very high quality," Davidson consultant Justin Hanney said. While it may have ticked the legal boxes, the community was left less than impressed with the council's efforts to notify the public about the proposed lease. A notice inviting comments on the proposed lease of the five public pools appeared in Sydney newspaper the Daily Telegraph classified section on July 3, 2023. The notice also appeared on the council's website on the public notices page as a link titled 'Proposed Lease'. The Local Government Act requires the council to give public notice of community land lease proposals that are for a term of more than five years. The public must be given 28 days to make a submission, and if someone makes a submission objecting to the proposal, the council cannot grant the lease without the Minister's consent. At the time, regular pool users said they were not aware of the call for public submissions, as did several Newcastle councillors. Mr Hanney said contracting out the inland pools was supported by a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis and capital investment benchmarking, which was presented to councillors to inform the tender process. "The tender process adhered to the council policy and the Local Government Act," Mr Hanney said. "Additionally, there's evidence of effective management of conflicts of interest demonstrated by the former lord mayor and six councillors exiting the chamber during the tender discussion due to a declared conflict of interest." The decision was delegated to the CEO after Labor councillors declared conflicts of interest in the matter, meaning a quorum of councillors could not be reached to vote on awarding a tender. City of Newcastle's seven Labor councillors recused themselves from a confidential debate on awarding a contract to lease and operate the five council pools because they said interactions with an unnamed politician had created a conflict of interest. While Davidson said the pool decision showed "evidence of effective management of conflicts of interest", the firm found room for improvement generally in how conflicts of interest were managed within the council. The review did not find issues with illegality or a lack of compliance around conflicts of interest, but instead noted there were issues with "how members of the public perceive conflicts of interest being handled". "There is a need, however, for constant vigilance in conflict of interest declarations and to ensure consistency in the way that councillors actually make them," Davidson consultant Colin Jensen said. The full review report will be publicly released on May 21. A CONTROVERSIAL tender awarded to BlueFit to manage City of Newcastle's five inland pools was "compliant", an independent review has found. Davidson Business Advisory was brought on to independently review the council's policies, processes and procedures. While regular pool users previously described the council's handling of the tender process as "disappointing" and "mind-boggling", Davidson found the tender process adhered to council policy and the Local Government Act. "The City of Newcastle has developed a detailed Inland Pool Strategy 2043, which we believe is of very high quality," Davidson consultant Justin Hanney said. While it may have ticked the legal boxes, the community was left less than impressed with the council's efforts to notify the public about the proposed lease. A notice inviting comments on the proposed lease of the five public pools appeared in Sydney newspaper the Daily Telegraph classified section on July 3, 2023. The notice also appeared on the council's website on the public notices page as a link titled 'Proposed Lease'. The Local Government Act requires the council to give public notice of community land lease proposals that are for a term of more than five years. The public must be given 28 days to make a submission, and if someone makes a submission objecting to the proposal, the council cannot grant the lease without the Minister's consent. At the time, regular pool users said they were not aware of the call for public submissions, as did several Newcastle councillors. Mr Hanney said contracting out the inland pools was supported by a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis and capital investment benchmarking, which was presented to councillors to inform the tender process. "The tender process adhered to the council policy and the Local Government Act," Mr Hanney said. "Additionally, there's evidence of effective management of conflicts of interest demonstrated by the former lord mayor and six councillors exiting the chamber during the tender discussion due to a declared conflict of interest." The decision was delegated to the CEO after Labor councillors declared conflicts of interest in the matter, meaning a quorum of councillors could not be reached to vote on awarding a tender. City of Newcastle's seven Labor councillors recused themselves from a confidential debate on awarding a contract to lease and operate the five council pools because they said interactions with an unnamed politician had created a conflict of interest. While Davidson said the pool decision showed "evidence of effective management of conflicts of interest", the firm found room for improvement generally in how conflicts of interest were managed within the council. The review did not find issues with illegality or a lack of compliance around conflicts of interest, but instead noted there were issues with "how members of the public perceive conflicts of interest being handled". "There is a need, however, for constant vigilance in conflict of interest declarations and to ensure consistency in the way that councillors actually make them," Davidson consultant Colin Jensen said. The full review report will be publicly released on May 21. A CONTROVERSIAL tender awarded to BlueFit to manage City of Newcastle's five inland pools was "compliant", an independent review has found. Davidson Business Advisory was brought on to independently review the council's policies, processes and procedures. While regular pool users previously described the council's handling of the tender process as "disappointing" and "mind-boggling", Davidson found the tender process adhered to council policy and the Local Government Act. "The City of Newcastle has developed a detailed Inland Pool Strategy 2043, which we believe is of very high quality," Davidson consultant Justin Hanney said. While it may have ticked the legal boxes, the community was left less than impressed with the council's efforts to notify the public about the proposed lease. A notice inviting comments on the proposed lease of the five public pools appeared in Sydney newspaper the Daily Telegraph classified section on July 3, 2023. The notice also appeared on the council's website on the public notices page as a link titled 'Proposed Lease'. The Local Government Act requires the council to give public notice of community land lease proposals that are for a term of more than five years. The public must be given 28 days to make a submission, and if someone makes a submission objecting to the proposal, the council cannot grant the lease without the Minister's consent. At the time, regular pool users said they were not aware of the call for public submissions, as did several Newcastle councillors. Mr Hanney said contracting out the inland pools was supported by a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis and capital investment benchmarking, which was presented to councillors to inform the tender process. "The tender process adhered to the council policy and the Local Government Act," Mr Hanney said. "Additionally, there's evidence of effective management of conflicts of interest demonstrated by the former lord mayor and six councillors exiting the chamber during the tender discussion due to a declared conflict of interest." The decision was delegated to the CEO after Labor councillors declared conflicts of interest in the matter, meaning a quorum of councillors could not be reached to vote on awarding a tender. City of Newcastle's seven Labor councillors recused themselves from a confidential debate on awarding a contract to lease and operate the five council pools because they said interactions with an unnamed politician had created a conflict of interest. While Davidson said the pool decision showed "evidence of effective management of conflicts of interest", the firm found room for improvement generally in how conflicts of interest were managed within the council. The review did not find issues with illegality or a lack of compliance around conflicts of interest, but instead noted there were issues with "how members of the public perceive conflicts of interest being handled". "There is a need, however, for constant vigilance in conflict of interest declarations and to ensure consistency in the way that councillors actually make them," Davidson consultant Colin Jensen said. The full review report will be publicly released on May 21. A CONTROVERSIAL tender awarded to BlueFit to manage City of Newcastle's five inland pools was "compliant", an independent review has found. Davidson Business Advisory was brought on to independently review the council's policies, processes and procedures. While regular pool users previously described the council's handling of the tender process as "disappointing" and "mind-boggling", Davidson found the tender process adhered to council policy and the Local Government Act. "The City of Newcastle has developed a detailed Inland Pool Strategy 2043, which we believe is of very high quality," Davidson consultant Justin Hanney said. While it may have ticked the legal boxes, the community was left less than impressed with the council's efforts to notify the public about the proposed lease. A notice inviting comments on the proposed lease of the five public pools appeared in Sydney newspaper the Daily Telegraph classified section on July 3, 2023. The notice also appeared on the council's website on the public notices page as a link titled 'Proposed Lease'. The Local Government Act requires the council to give public notice of community land lease proposals that are for a term of more than five years. The public must be given 28 days to make a submission, and if someone makes a submission objecting to the proposal, the council cannot grant the lease without the Minister's consent. At the time, regular pool users said they were not aware of the call for public submissions, as did several Newcastle councillors. Mr Hanney said contracting out the inland pools was supported by a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis and capital investment benchmarking, which was presented to councillors to inform the tender process. "The tender process adhered to the council policy and the Local Government Act," Mr Hanney said. "Additionally, there's evidence of effective management of conflicts of interest demonstrated by the former lord mayor and six councillors exiting the chamber during the tender discussion due to a declared conflict of interest." The decision was delegated to the CEO after Labor councillors declared conflicts of interest in the matter, meaning a quorum of councillors could not be reached to vote on awarding a tender. City of Newcastle's seven Labor councillors recused themselves from a confidential debate on awarding a contract to lease and operate the five council pools because they said interactions with an unnamed politician had created a conflict of interest. While Davidson said the pool decision showed "evidence of effective management of conflicts of interest", the firm found room for improvement generally in how conflicts of interest were managed within the council. The review did not find issues with illegality or a lack of compliance around conflicts of interest, but instead noted there were issues with "how members of the public perceive conflicts of interest being handled". "There is a need, however, for constant vigilance in conflict of interest declarations and to ensure consistency in the way that councillors actually make them," Davidson consultant Colin Jensen said. The full review report will be publicly released on May 21.
