Inquiry concludes that teenage assault case incorrectly handled

AN INTERNAL inquiry carried out by South Wales Police’s professional standards department has concluded that the case of a teenager assaulted by her partner should have been treated in line with national domestic abuse guidelines.

Instead the 2015 incident was handled under a local restorative justice programme, and the offender was not prosecuted.

The victim, now 18, cannot be named for legal reasons.

Her family is convinced that her baby would not have been taken off her for adoption if she had received more professional support.

The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales is currently investigating a complaint that Vale of Glamorgan council let the teenager down by enrolling her on a programme that involved participating in joint counselling sessions with her abusive partner.

According to her father, the teenage mother did not feel safe during the sessions because her partner was assaulting her afterwards, and was seen by social workers as withdrawn and uncooperative. They recommended that her child should be adopted.

An investigation report written by Detective Inspector Darren Grady refers to a report published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in 2014 that said: “[Police] use of restorative justice interventions in domestic abuse cases concerning intimate partners is inappropriate, ineffective and potentially dangerous.

“However, there are a few examples from the force inspections where use of restorative justice in intimate partner abuse was happening routinely.

“This was raised with the forces concerned.

“The bottom line here is that police should not use restorative justice in intimate partner domestic abuse cases and should only do so with extreme caution in other forms of domestic abuse.”

DI Grady concluded that the complaint made by the father of the victim should be upheld, although there were no specific misconduct breaches in regards to any specific officer.

Since the incident, the force has revised its practices and in similar future instances restorative justice would not be contemplated.

The victim’s father said: “We appreciate that South Wales Police has upheld my complaint, but the consequences of the events have been devastating for my family.

“My daughter has had her child removed for adoption and has suffered severe mental health problems as a consequence.

“It is all very well for the police to learn lessons from what has happened, but in my view things would have turned out differently if they had recognised it as a domestic abuse case from the outset.

“The fact is that she has lost the right to bring up her own child – an outcome that in itself has worsened her mental condition.”