For raging domestic violence and murders his new partner
– abuse victim Michelle Cunningham – Attribution line page (control 9)
series of convictions dating from before he attacked Michelle – including an 18-month youth custody sentence for arson, a conviction for common assault and criminal damage and a breach of the peace.
Highton had called Michelle to beg her to lie about his abusive behaviour for a “background report” he claimed was being done so he could get access to Linda’s grandchildren and family.
Michelle said: “I said there was no way I’d lie to cover up what he’d done because I’d never subject another woman to what he put me and my family through. Nobody ever contacted me. If only they had, maybe Linda would still be alive.”
After Highton left Scotland, Michelle rebuilt her life, went to university and graduated with a degree in community education, something she says Highton would never have let her do.
She said: “With him gone out of our lives, my girls and I finally felt free to be ourselves again. I’m just very angry the system that is supposed to prevent that kind of behaviour continuing failed to protect the poor woman he murdered.
“There’s not much point in having a system if it can’t track an abuser from Scotland to England. We need to find out why it failed and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Nottinghamshire Police is one of four forces in the UK that carried out pilot schemes from 2012 to roll out Clare’s Law. Named after mum-of-one Clare Wood from Salford, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2009, the scheme allows police forces to inform concerned families about the abusive past of any new partner by making an official disclosure application.
Detective Chief Inspector Clare Dean, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Our sympathies are with the family of Linda Treeby and all those affected by her tragic death.
“As per established procedures, a multiagency domestic homicide review has been commissioned in relation to this case.
“Nottinghamshire Police will be fully supporting that review, the findings of which will be published in due course after being shared with the family.”
Detective Superintendent Debbie Forrester, head of Police Scotland’s Domestic Abuse Taskforce said: “Tackling domestic abuse is a priority for Police Scotland and we work with a range of partners to raise awareness of the help available, to identify risk and to support victims.
“Our officers and staff are trained to look beyond physical abuse and to identify and investigate the full range of abusive behaviour, which can include physical violence but also the emotional, psychological and financial abuses now offences under the new Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act.
“Domestic abuse, like other genderbased violence, is under- reported. We would encourage people to report. We will listen and we will take action.”