Tagged criminals ‘allowed to live with potential victims’

A WOMAN was assaulted by a domestic abuser after he was confined to her home under a tagged curfew, a watchdog has revealed, as he warned of a lack of checks.

Justin Russell, the chief inspector of probation, said it was “deeply concerning” and “unacceptable” that electronically tagged domestic abusers under curfew or restrictions were being allowed to reside with potential victims.

He demanded an urgent review after evidence that criminals were either being released early from prisons on home curfews or being tagged in the community without proper checks on the serious risks they posed to victims.

His report into tagging cited the case of a 26-year-old with a history of domestic violence. The man, who had been convicted of an assault on a security guard, had previously been cautioned for a battery offence against his mother and an assault on an ex-girlfriend. He was committed to his current girlfriend’s address, resulting in a domestic assault on her while he was tagged.