Latest news with #JoannaSimpsonFoundation
Metro
3 days ago
- Politics
- Metro
Domestic abusers to be 'locked in' to restriction zones to safeguard victims
Domestic abusers and sex offenders will be 'locked in' to specific restrictions zones to keep them away from victims when they are released from prison, under a new law. Until now, exclusion zones have prevented offenders from going where their victims live. But many survivors – and their families – have been left feeling like prisoners in their own home, limiting themselves to that small area through fear of bumping into perpetrators. The new plans shifting that responsibility onto perpetrators by placing more restrictions on their movements have been welcomed by campaigners. Diana Parkes CBE and Hetti Barkworth-Nanton CBE, co-founders of the Joanna Simpson Foundation, said: 'For far too long, victims have had to reshape their lives to avoid their offenders. 'Exclusion zones have made victims feel trapped as though they are the ones serving a sentence, with the victim carrying the weight of someone else's crime. 'This announcement from the Ministry of Justice is the much-needed change that has long been called for and is a powerful step forward. 'By placing restrictions on offenders instead, this will now give survivors the freedom they deserve to live, move and heal without fear. 'It will also be more cost-effective for those monitoring the perpetuators as they will be locked in specific areas rather than having to monitor the exclusion zones where the victims live.' Emma King, whose sister Julie Butcher was murdered by her ex-husband in 2005, said her family has been 'directly impacted by the current system'. While the change has come 'too late for us — and for many other victims, survivors, and families', she welcomed the 'long overdue change'. 'This is a vital and significant step forward in shifting the burden of control away from victims and placing it where it belongs — on offenders,' Ms King said. 'For the first time, the justice system is taking a decisive stand: instead of victims being forced to uproot their lives to stay safe, the most serious sexual and violent offenders will now face strict boundaries that limit their freedom. 'This change empowers survivors to reclaim their lives, rebuild with dignity, and feel safer in their own communities. 'It also sends a clear message: protection and justice are for victims – not a privilege for those who have caused harm.' For the new restriction zones, probation officers will work with survivors to decide on banned locations for perpetrators, and will carry out detailed risk assessments. If you are experiencing domestic abuse, you are not alone. And whether you are currently coping with or have made the decision to leave, you do have options. If you are thinking about leaving, domestic abuse charity Refuge suggests starting a record of abusive incidents, which might include saving pictures or messages, or making notes of times, dates and details of incidents. The next step is to make copies of important documents such as court orders, marriage certificates, National Insurance Numbers and your driving licence. In the meantime, identify the safer areas of your home so that you know where to go if your abuser becomes aggravated. Ideally, this should be a room with a phone and a door or window to the outside. If you feel ready to leave, start by making a plan for a safe, reliable route out. If you feel safe to do so, pack an emergency bag so that you leave in a hurry if needed. You can access a local refuge, either with or without children, for as long as you need to stay. The address is confidential. The National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247) is open 24-hours a day and has all the details of refuges in your area. In an emergency situation, ring 999 and ask for the police. If you aren't able to talk, try the Silent Solution: after dialling 999, listen to the questions from the operator and respond by coughing or tapping your device, if possible. If prompted, press 55 to let the operator know it's an emergency – you'll be put through to the police. Read more here. Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones announced the new measure at charity Advance in London on Friday. The victims minister said perpetrators will be GPS monitored to have real-time data about where they are going, and will be subject to 'virtual boundaries' which if breached could mean they go to prison. She said: 'We're putting really strong safeguards attached to these so that we can give victims and survivors the confidence to carry on with their everyday lives. 'We're going to be outlining more details on this as well as we're bringing in the legislation in the autumn.' Speaking at one of Advance's women's centres, director Amy Glover said the domestic abuse charity wants to see what the monitoring processes are, and how quickly a probation officer would intervene if a perpetrator was breaching conditions or doing something unsafe. More Trending 'What we can sometimes find when new safety measures are introduced for victim survivors, if they don't work all the time, then they can actually create a false sense of security,' she said. 'So we're just really interested to hear a bit more about how they will be rolled out and how we can ensure they're working effectively.' But of the measure, she added the reaction is 'largely positive' as it flips the current responsibility on survivors to perpetrators. 'The aim of these restriction zones, which we really welcome, is to flip that so now he may have a smaller area of movement. She is able to go about her daily life more,' she added. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Moment McDonald's customer climbs over counter and starts fighting staff MORE: Man who raped and murdered ex-fiancee at luxury hotel jailed for 28 years MORE: Mum of Harvey Willgoose found out son was stabbed to death on social media
The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
Released violent offenders to be ‘locked' in restriction zones in England and Wales
Restriction zones aimed at 'locking' violent offenders – rather than their victims – into specific areas when they are released from prison are to be introduced by the government in England and Wales. At the moment, exclusion zones are often used to keep an offender away from their victim's home but many campaigners for women's safety have long called for this to be flipped. They argue a system of offender restriction zones will give victims more freedom because they can travel widely in the confidence they will not bump into their perpetrator. Technology, such as electronic tags, would be used to make sure offenders stayed in the allocated zone and if they strayed they risked being returned to prison. Under the plans, probation officers will conduct a risk assessment and work closely with victims on the creation of restriction zones, making sure they prevent contact while giving survivors the maximum freedom to rebuild their lives. The plans, announced on Friday by the Ministry of Justice, were welcomed by campaigners including the Joanna Simpson Foundation, which supports children affected by domestic abuse and homicide. In a statement the foundation co-founders, Diana Parkes and Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, said: 'For far too long, victims have had to reshape their lives to avoid their offenders. 'Exclusion zones have made victims feel trapped as though they are the ones serving a sentence, with the victim carrying the weight of someone else's crime. 'This is the much-needed change that has long been called for and is a powerful step forward. By placing restrictions on offenders instead, this will now give survivors the freedom they deserve to live, move and heal without fear. 'It will also be more cost-effective for those monitoring the perpetrators as they will be locked in specific areas rather than having to monitor the exclusion zones where the victims live.' The plans are designed to restrict the movements of the most serious sexual and violent offenders. Rhianon Bragg, who was stalked and held hostage at gunpoint by her ex-partner Gareth Wyn Jones in north Wales, welcomed the government's announcement. A wide exclusion zone was placed around her home when Jones was released but Bragg said she felt trapped in this area, and when she travelled out of it she felt at risk. Emma King, whose sister Julie Butcher was killed in Wiltshire in 2005, said: 'This is a vital and significant step forward in shifting the burden of control away from victims and placing it where it belongs – on offenders. 'For the first time, the justice system is taking a decisive stand: instead of victims being forced to uproot their lives to stay safe, the most serious sexual and violent offenders will now face strict boundaries that limit their freedom.' Alex Davies-Jones, the minister for victims and tackling violence against women and girls, said: 'We're putting victims first. This move will strengthen safeguards for victims.' Bringing in restriction zones will require primary legislation, which the government will introduce in parliament when time allows. The Ministry of Justice said wider changes throughout the probation system would also result in tens of thousands more offenders being tagged and at least 1,300 new trainee probation officers brought in next year to increase capacity. Further planned changes include: Increased tagging for domestic perpetrators. Requiring judges to flag domestic abuse at sentencing so prisons, probation and police can better identify and manage abusers. Expanding specialist domestic abuse courts. Bolstering transparency for victims at sentencing – including the provision of free copies of judges' sentencing remarks for victims of rape and other sexual offences.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Telegraph
Sex offenders to be banned from leaving ‘restriction zones'
Sex offenders will be 'locked in' to new restriction zones to prevent them approaching their victims, under a new law. Those who commit violent or sexual crimes will be ordered to remain in a certain area after they have been released from prison, for the remainder of their sentence. The Ministry of Justice has announced plans to change the law to introduce 'restriction zones' designed to limit the freedoms of the most serious offenders. They will differ from current 'exclusion zones', which are designed to stop an offender from going to an area where a victim lives. The broader restriction zones will curb an offender's movements, meaning they will be confined to a predetermined area until the end of their sentence. Hetti Barkworth-Nanton and Diana Parkes, of the Joanna Simpson Foundation, which supports domestic abuse victims and has campaigned for the change, called it 'a powerful step forward'. In a statement, they said: 'By placing restrictions on offenders instead, this will now give survivors the freedom they deserve to live, move and heal without fear. 'It will also be more cost-effective for those monitoring the perpetrators as they will be locked in specific areas rather than having to monitor the exclusion zones where the victims live.' Diana Parkes' daughter, Joanna Simpson, was bludgeoned to death by her husband with a claw hammer in their family home in October 2010 as their two young children cowered in a playroom. The zones will be devised based on conversations with the affected victims, and on the assessment of risk as deemed by probation officers. Offenders will be monitored through the use of geotagging and tracking technology, keeping them in a specific limited area. One domestic abuse survivor, known as Leanne, said that the change was a 'long time coming'. The mother-of-two, 54, said that she would have asked for a restriction zone to cover the school where she would take her children, her local supermarket or near her family's homes. 'These are places where I was confronted, even when he had restraining orders,' she said. 'If I could say those places, and I knew I could go to those places safely, happy days, I'm protected. I've been listened to.' Georgia Harrison, a reality TV star who campaigns on violence against women and girls after becoming a victim of revenge porn, also supported the proposal. 'Why on earth should a survivor have to pick an area and stay there for the rest of their life?' the Refuge ambassador said. 'It makes so much more sense that a perpetrator will be subjected to a restriction zone and a survivor can go wherever they want and feel safe.'
The Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Violent abusers set to be forced to stay inside ‘restriction zones' under tough new laws
VIOLENT abusers are to be made to stay inside 'restriction zones' for the first time under new laws. They must remain in certain areas, monitored by GPS tags, with potential jail time for a breach. 2 Current laws ban thugs from an area — normally around a victim's home. Campaigners say that restricts victims' freedoms, as they feel safe only when they stay in their exclusion zones — and not when elsewhere. Probation services will enlist victims to draw up a list of locations offenders are allowed to visit. The Ministry of Justice move came after lobbying from campaigners. It may be introduced as part of the Sentencing Bill going through Parliament. Victims' minister Alex Davies-Jones said it 'will strengthen safeguards'. Announcing the change, Minister for Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Alex Davies-Jones said: 'Through our Plan for Change, we're putting victims first. 'This move will strengthen safeguards for victims. "I've heard firsthand how this innovative approach will give them the peace of mind they deserve and rebuild their lives without fear.' Diana Parkes CBE and Hetti Barkworth-Nanton CBE, who are co-founders of the Joanna Simpson Foundation, said: 'For far too long, victims have had to reshape their lives to avoid their offenders. "Exclusion zones have made victims feel trapped as though they are the ones serving a sentence, with the victim carrying the weight of someone else's crime. 'This announcement from the Ministry of Justice is the much-needed change that has long been called for and is a powerful step forward. "By placing restrictions on offenders instead, this will now give survivors the freedom they deserve to live, move and heal without fear. " 2
Daily Mirror
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
‘I was last one to talk to Jo hours before her ex beat her to death with hammer'
The horrific death of her best friend left Hetti Barkworth-Nanton traumatised, but her tireless campaigning to raise awareness of domestic violence led to a Pride of Britain award last year – and now a stage at Glasto! Ordinary mum-turned-domestic violence champion Hetti Barkworth-Nanton is headlining The Information Stage at Glastonbury this weekend to give voice to abused women like her best friend, who was beaten to death by her husband. Hetti was the last person to speak to her 'soulmate' Joanna Simpson an hour before her savage killing, and tells The Mirror: 'I was talking to her… and then she was just literally ripped away.' The 47-year-old mum-of-two, who was in the middle of a bitter divorce from her estranged husband, Robert Brown, had planned to stay with Hetti on the weekend she was killed. Hetti's life was shattered when Joanna was viciously killed and buried in a pre-dug grave by Brown in 2010, who slaughtered her within earshot of their young children. Afterwards, Hetti and Joanna's mother Diana Parkes started the Joanna Simpson Foundation, to help children affected by domestic violence, and were recognised for their work at last year's Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards. This year's Pride of Britain Awards with P&O Cruises are now looking for nominations for tireless campaigners like Hetti and Diana. Still grieving for her friend, Hetti, 58, from Swindon, says: 'Jo was a ray of sunshine – she was kind, warm, fun and, above all, an incredible mother. 'We set up the Joanna Simpson Foundation because, having seen the law fail to protect two deeply traumatised children, we couldn't let that happen again. We also wanted to raise awareness of domestic abuse. So often, people don't know it is happening to those they love.' According to the charity, 130,000 children are in households at risk of serious injury or death, while 200 children are bereaved through murder each year. Now Hetti, who also chairs domestic abuse charity Refuge, will be joined on stage at the UK's biggest festival by TV presenter Zara McDermott and football pundit Eni Aluko, to raise awareness of the soaring rates of violence against women and girls. Refuge ambassador Zara says: 'Since sharing my experiences of intimate image abuse, I have been taken aback by the sheer scale of this horrific form of abuse, with many survivors sharing their own stories with me. 'Domestic abuse affects thousands of women every day. No one can afford to turn a blind eye to this devastating societal issue.' Equally passionate, former footballer Eni has spoken out on the problem of stadiums not being safe spaces for women. READ MORE: 'We drank to excess and had debauched sex parties – but one drug split the band' Incredibly proud of winning Pride of Britain's Special Recognition award last year, Hetti continues: 'So much has happened over the last 15 years, but winning a Pride of Britain award has to be one of the most overwhelming and positive things. It's amazing.' As a direct result of their Pride of Britain award, she and Diana have successfully campaigned for the government to review the murder law and sentencing, and to look at changing the way licence conditions work for certain offenders. They say the current system traps victims, through the rule preventing some prisoners on licence from coming within a five-mile radius of their victims and their families. 'Victims feel very anxious about going outside of a five-mile radius, where they would bump into their assailant, but the offender can go everywhere else. It's crazy,' says Hetti. Diana, now 86, raised her daughter's children - now young adults - as her own after her killing. They wanted no contact with Brown, who was jailed for 26 years, after pleading guilty to manslaughter with diminished responsibility. In October 2023, Diana, from the Isle of Man, and Hetti successfully campaigned to block Brown's automatic release from prison after completing half his sentence. But he is up for parole again. 'Robert Brown is a massive danger to women and girls,' says Hetti. 'He's applied for parole again, but he hasn't yet been given a hearing for that. We believe it will be in the autumn this year.' Hetti says she and Jo 'became best buddies straight away' when they met at nursery when their children were little. 'We were really soulmates,' she says, reflecting, sadly, on how Jo called off her plans to stay with her on that fateful weekend. 'She decided she had too much work to do. I was literally speaking to her in the hour before… trying to just encourage her to stay positive, because it was their final High Court hearing a week later. 'She told me, 'It's not going to end when we have the divorce hearing. He's going to carry on controlling me. 'She knew what he was capable of, because he threatened her with a knife three years before. But we all hoped he wanted to get on with life with his new girlfriend, who was pregnant.' Even now, Hetti misses Jo and struggles with the loss. 'You know I was talking to her and then she was just literally ripped away,' she explains. 'Then there was no-one to give Jo her voice at the trial, and he ended up getting manslaughter.' Hetti has suffered serious health issues from the shock of Jo's horrific death. 'I spent four years unable to work with really severe complex PTSD. And then in 2018 got breast cancer, which was inevitably due to the trauma,' she says. She and Diana both fear Brown being released. 'We're really worried, terrified,' says Hetti. 'This is a man who spent his marriage resenting Jo because of the pre-nup he signed. And that resentment turned to utter distaste and then insidious hatred. 'It took him three years after they separated to carry out what he did. But having spent three months digging a grave, he holds vengeance like no other. 'He will be absolutely furious at the fact that he's been kept in prison longer than he believed he was going to be there. And he blames myself and Di for that. 'We just hope he stays in prison for long enough, so he will be older and that bit less physically capable of doing anything.' Both women were appointed CBEs in the New Year Honours List 2024 in recognition of their work, and Queen Camilla says they are her inspiration for raising awareness around domestic violence. Diana, who refuses to give up the fight, vows: 'I will continue until my dying days to keep children safe and to eliminate domestic abuse.' Major breakthroughs After Hetti and Diana collected their award at last year's glittering Pride of Britain ceremony, the pair went to Number 10 the following day to meet PM Keir Starmer. Hetti recalls: 'We then met Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and the Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood, where we put forward a number of issues we're concerned about, regarding the law and the treatment of victims. 'Two things have happened notably since then. First is that the High Commissioner of Justice has announced a full review by the Law Commission into the murder law and sentencing, and indeed have attributed our campaigning to that decision. 'The second issue we discussed, which is very much the brainchild of Diana and something that she feels very strongly about, is the licence conditions that are in place to stop offenders from going near the victim. 'When somebody is let out on license, it not only highlights to the offender where the victim lives, it effectively traps the victim within that five-mile range. They feel very anxious about going outside that five-mile radius limit, where they would bump into the offender, but the offender can go everywhere else. 'We campaigned really hard for the need to change that, particularly for dangerous offenders, so that the offender is given tight licence conditions, which leaves the victims free to travel.' Hetti adds: 'Shabana Manood announced in the House that she is now going to explicitly look at changing the way licence conditions work for certain offenders, doing exactly what we've asked her to do.' The background Believing he'd been 'stitched up' by a pre-nup, Robert Brown bludgeoned his estranged wife Joanna Simpson to death with a claw hammer – within earshot of their then nine and 10-year-old children – in Ascot, Berkshire, in October 2010. The former BA pilot buried her body in a pre-dug grave in Windsor Great Park, before confessing to police the following day. The couple had been separated for three years. Brown, then 47, claimed their bitter divorce proceedings had put him under great stress. Found not guilty of murder, Brown was initially sentenced to 26 years for manslaughter. After a public outcry at the leniency of the sentence and outraged could be released automatically after serving half his sentence, Hetti and Diana met with the then government. And, in October 2023, the government blocked Brown's automatic release the following month, referring his case to the Parole Board. Government lawyers said Brown had "persistently refused to engage in the rehabilitative elements of his sentence". In a landmark decision, the court dismissed the appeal, stating there were "good grounds for believing" that Brown posed a "high risk to the public of serious harm'. Now Brown has once again applied for a parole hearing, which is due to be held in autumn. • Do you know a campaign that deserves to be nominated for a Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Special Recognition Award, in partnership with P&O Cruises? How to nominate: Campaigns that change the world are at the heart of Pride of Britain, and over the past 26 years, some truly dedicated work by community-minded people have inspired the nation. If you know a campaign that deserves an award, like Hetti and Diana, you can nominate them for: SPECIAL RECOGNITION For achievements not covered in other categories, such as inspiring carers, campaigners and members of armed forces.
