Aurora New Dawn are currently working with police to explore how information sharing about extremely dangerous perpetrators could protect the public, as well as protecting victims of domestic and sexual violence.

Two cases have hit the headlines in recent years where the behaviour of the perpetrator in his relationships provided key indicators of the high level of danger these men posed – not just to individual intimate partners, but to the wider public.

Levi Bellfield was tried and convicted for the murder of Millie Dowler whilst already serving his sentence for the murders of Amelie Delagrange in 2004, Marsha McDonnell in 2003 and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy in 2004.

A number of Levi’s ex-girlfriends described a similar pattern of behaviour by Levi. While charming and affectionate at the start of the relationship, a typical pattern of domestic abuse emerged within weeks. Bellfield was a known domestic violence perpetrator: he would isolate his partners, preventing contact with friends and family and even requiring them to seek his permission to go out.

During their relationship, Bellfield told one former partner that he had thoughts of hurting women.

One of Bellfield’s ex-girlfriends came forward after the murder of Amelie and identified him as a potential suspect. His name was added to the 129 names on the ‘Ex-girlfriends’ list.

Peter Tobin was convicted in 2007 for the murder of Angelika Kluk, with further murder convictions following in 2008 and 2009 for the murders of Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNichol. He was also convicted of child abuse, although the full extent of his crimes remains unknown and is the subject of an ongoing police operation.

Tobin’s relationship history was one of extreme abuse, characterised by strangulation, sexual violence and ‘house arrests’, as well as physical assault. In one particularly brutal incident, his partner was assaulted so badly she bled through the ceiling.

Aurora’s Operations Manager, Zoe, said “What intelligence could we have had about these individuals if we were looking at their behaviour in their relationships?”

One of the key problems here is the silencing of victims and the consistent issue of not believing allegations of abuse or violence – an issue that has shaped a number of key campaigns this year, including MumsNet’s WeBelieveYou and the hashtag in solidarity with the victim of footballer Ched Evans, #WeBelieveHer.

“The victim’s perception of abusive behaviour is one of the most accurate ways we have of measuring risk,” said Zoe.

“In cases where victims have been murdered by their partners, we look back and see that she was consistently saying she was extremely afraid and believed he was going to kill her.”

Not all perpetrators will pose a public risk, Zoe makes clear.

“Most perpetrators are not a danger to anyone else other than people they are in a relationship with. However, with some cases, their abusive behaviour in the home tells us about a wider risk and the risk assessments we undertake with victims can provide information that could be used for public protection and even crime prevention.”

Aurora are currently working with a range of partner organisations, including the police, to explore how the information victims and survivors share with our staff – particularly in relation to sexual violence – might be shared with public agencies to make better links around public protection.

“Victims’ perceptions must be taken seriously,” said Zoe.

“Think about it. A victim knows her partner and she knows their behaviour – more so than anybody else.”

This article is based on a presentation given by Zoe, our Operations Manager to a number of 2^nd year Criminology students from the University of Portsmouth recently.

The presentation draws on Criminal Behavioural Analyst Laura Richards’ DASH Risk Assessment Masterclass, which examines the process of risk assessment in domestic abuse cases and explores the relationship between domestic abuse and wider public protection issues. Both Zoe and Aurora’s Chief Exec Shonagh are accredited by Laura Richards to deliver the Masterclass.

If you would like more information on booking a speaker from Aurora New Dawn, or want to find out more about the DASH Masterclass Training, please contact us on 023 9247 9254.

Joe Wells becomes an Aurora patron

We are delighted to welcome the fantastic, funny and fabulous Mr Joe Wells as our new patron. After working with Joe last year at the White Ribbon Comedy Night, we’ve been looking for a way to get him involved with Aurora New Dawn ever since – and now we have!

Although Joe never fails to make us laugh, he’s unquestionably serious about the issue of violence against women, with misogyny and discrimination frequently appearing as targets of his razor-sharp wit during his stand-up shows.

Who is Joe Wells?

Joe Wells is not only a brilliant stand-up comedian, but he is also a published writer and public speaker. Initially, Joe’s career began with the release of the book ‘Touch and Go Joe’, later he went to work delivering political stand-up comedy. In addition to stand-up, Joe Wells also hosts a podcast.

Joe Wells, achievements

• The Portsmouth Guide Award for Best Comedy 2014, 2017, 2018 – Winner
• Comedy Central Funniest Student 2010 – Winner
• New Act Of The Year (formerly Hackney Empire) 2011 – Finalist
• Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year 2012 – Runner Up
• The Guide Award for Best Comedy 2011 – Shortlisted
• London New Comedy Awards 2010 – Finalist
• The Guide Award for Best Comedy 2009 – Shortlisted

Joe Well’s at work

Joe Wells and Amnesty International

In addition to supporting women’s rights, Joe Wells has worked with Amnesty International by appearing on Amnesty TV – Episode 8. Here he is, doing what he does best for Amnesty International, discussing the misrepresentation of the human rights act by tabloid newspapers and how this affected a Tory Party conference speech.

You can also check out the fabulous Mr Wells (though not in a library book kinda way) AND show solidarity for victims and survivors of violence and abuse at Brighton’s Stand-Up to End Violence Against Women in December.

Joe Wells Think Tank

In 2015, Joe worked on a project called ‘Think Tank’ which was a live show and podcast in which comedians had the opportunity to voice their opinions and express ideas to a panel of real-life politicians. This show was held in the square tower in Portsmouth.

What is Joe working on now?

These days, Joe Wells can be found doing stand-up tours of the UK. He performs in a variety of comedy clubs across the nation, regularly performing at the Edinburgh Fringe festival, The Top Secret Comedy Club in London and in his hometown of Portsmouth.

Reviews of Joe Wells

And here’s what everyone else is saying about Joe:

“Joe Wells is a skilled jokesmith who threads great gags through intelligent political material that, whilst razor-sharp, is never particularly angry or dark. As the first gross gags open up into smarter, topical ones it’s clear that this is a tightly-structured, well thought-out set. Excellent jokes and sly political comment wrapped tightly in a western union online neat parcel which delivers regular, powerful laughs from a delighted audience. He spins new life out of easy targets like bankers and the BNP with some wonderful imagery” British Comedy Guide.

“A star of the future… some of the most surprising and thought-provoking material coming from any comedian in his early 20s” The Guardian.

“A much-needed voice against hypocrisy as well as a wonderfully talented stand-up comedian, Joe Wells uses his comedy to burst a gigantic hole in the sides of homophobia, misogyny and racism while still managing to remain funny throughout” Portsmouth Evening News.

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It’s that time of year again, when hundreds of Portsmouth men, women and children are taking to the streets to end domestic and sexual violence as the city gears up for its 3^rd annual Reclaim the Night march on 23^rd November, which kicks off at 7pm at the Spinnaker Tower.

This year’s march is going to be loud and proud, so get ready to shout!

We’re also asking marchers to wear something white or purple to show your solidarity with victims and survivors.

Local drumming group, Batala, will be leading the march, which will end with a rally in the Guildhall Square featuring local musicians El Morgan and Steph Arburrow.

Reclaim the Night is a symbolic march that brings together women, men and children to enable women to reclaim public space in safety and raise awareness about the high levels of violence against women in the UK and across the world.

Aurora works with victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence every day and we know the challenges they face just to come forward and seek help in the first place. Events like Reclaim the Night show on a local level that victims are not alone and there are people out there who can help.

It’s the one night a year in Portsmouth when women are guaranteed to be able to walk in safety through our streets.

Organisers say this year’s march is even more important due to funding cuts affecting local services.

In February 2011, the Safer Portsmouth Partnership launched a review of domestic abuse, stating it was “as a result of changes to funding regimes and service restructures forced by cuts to public service budgets”. In addition, local services for victims and survivors are reporting significant funding cuts, as well as increased competition for existing funding.

What can we do about this?

Well apart from getting your shout on at the march, Aurora are developing a report for all the services working with victim and survivors in the city. It will outline an alternative approach for Portsmouth to ensure the cuts – and the increased pressure on people in a recession – do not combine to turn the clock back for victims and survivors of violence and abuse, or for women more generally, in terms of combating discrimination and providing opportunity.

It’s never been more important to show our support as a city for victims and survivors of violence.

According to research commissioned by the Safer Portsmouth Partnership, domestic violence is the largest common motivator for violent crimes across Portsmouth, but only a low number of incidents currently result in a court case. In addition, levels of sexual violence in Portsmouth have risen since 2010/11.

Portsmouth has a great track record for supporting victim and survivors. Whilst it’s a very real challenge to the sector to make sure these vital services survive in the current economy, the reality is that we simply can’t allow the last ten years of progress to be reversed.

Our CEO, Shonagh says: “This year it’s even more important that local people take to the streets and Reclaim the Night – we need to shout out our support for victims and survivors and say a loud ‘No’ to perpetrators and the social attitudes and structures that help to create and protect them.”

Are you with us Pompey? We’re coming to take back the streets!

The new edition of the IRIS newsletter has hit the stands and is now available to download from your computer, here.

IRIS is a GP-based domestic violence and abuse programme that provides training to health teams and enables them to refer patients experiencing domestic abuse to specialist support services and advocates.

This issue looks in more detail at what the IRIS programme is, and how it works in practice. There’s also an interview with one of the Southampton IRIS team.

It’s a great issue, but don’t take our word for it, find out for yourself!

You can also find out more about IRIS by visiting their website here.

[Image credit: Sarah Klockars-Clauser, openphoto.net]

We were delighted to see Aurora New Dawn’s patron, Lauren Atkins from The Malins Group, in The Times today.

Lauren appears in an article about a new generation of women property developers. She talks about why she employs an all-female office and some of the challenges facing women in business.

“I recognised that there were so many talented women out there who didn’t want to work 50 hour weeks in the City because they wanted more of a balance in their lives. And I was more than happy to offer flexibility so that I could harness their untapped expertise.

We are all women with children, some work school hours and some part-time, but we are all incredibly dedicated.”

We’re an all-women team here at Aurora and know firsthand the challenges facing women in the workplace as well as the unique benefits that women bring to the working environment.

These similarities in our working ethos and practice have been really useful to Aurora in helping us explore innovative and dynamic approaches to the challenges posed by the current economic environment.

“It’s great to see Lauren and the Malins Group receive the recognition they rightly deserve. Lauren is a consummate professional woman working in the private sector, and we’re delighted to have her as our Patron,” said Aurora’s Chief Executive, Shonagh Dillon.

“Her knowledge of how the private sector and the voluntary sector can best work together is a fantastic and a much valued resource for us in the current climate. Equally, I hope that we contribute to the broader social goals of the Malin’s Group, which I know are very close to Lauren’s heart.”

The article can be read on The Times website – paywall warning!

Congratulations to Lauren and the Malins Group on the feature.

Lauren Atkins is our patron and her company, The Malins Group, is an official corporate partner to Aurora New Dawn.

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.

Maya Angelou

On Friday 27th April, the Aurora team made our way to the Royal Beach Hotel for our very first AGM.

Each member of the team – from the frontline IDVAs, ISVAs, and admin officer to the management team and Chair of the Board – spoke movingly about their individual experiences of Aurora’s first year.

We were delighted that so many agencies, organisations, groups and individuals came along to the AGM – the function room was filled to capacity and all seats were taken. We were surprised to find that so many people came along, several had to stand!

After the speeches, the team relaxed and mingled with our guests and we were all very pleased with everyone’s positive feedback about the day.

One of our guests told us, “I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to hear the F-word spoken so many times in a row – I think it’s more and more rare to hear it openly spoken these days…”

She was, of course, referring to the word ‘feminist’ – a word that Aurora holds very dear and which is at the centre of our work.

Although everyone seemed to enjoy the speeches, there was no doubt that everyone loved the catering – the key to a successful AGM is definitely to be found in the quality and quantity of the cake…

 

Speeches from the day

SHONAGH DILLON, CHIEF EXEC: “This has been simultaneously the most challenging and the most rewarding year of my career to date. I cannot overstate how privileged I feel to work alongside survivors of abuse; I am humbled by the trust they place in us, and always overwhelmed and inspired by their bravery.”

Read the full text of the Chief Exec’s speech

OPERATIONS MANAGER: “Aurora’s Facebook page recently received over 120 likes in the first 48 hours of going live, and is proving a fantastic way of connecting us with others. It’s not often you can say you spent some of your working day facebooking and tweeting!  We’re certainly having great fun with it at the moment but, most importantly, we hope it makes the Aurora service accessible and helps us to connect with our clients and partner organisations in real time.”

Read the full text of the Operations Manager’s speech

VOLUNTEER CO-ORDINATOR: “What I will take most from supporting survivors at court was not necessarily about the result, but about the survivor having the opportunity to stand up to the perpetrator and say ‘what you did to me was wrong’. Survivors were constantly surprising me, and I believe themselves, with the strength and determination that they had in relation to taking back the control that the perpetrator had taken from them.”

Read the full text of the Volunteer Coordinator AGM speech

MARAC and Probation IDVA: “I believe the major success of the [probation] project which, within its first four months had a 100% take up rate from clients, has been down to the existing relationship and…how the service is offered to clients.”

Read the full text of the MARAC and Probation IDVA’s speech