It was best to expose Andrew Griffiths as an abuser; effective males need to be liable
I‘m called the feminist lawyer. I represent ladies without any migration status on the breadline and I represent political leaders in positions of power. They all have something in typical. They are survivors of male violence. Kate Griffiths MP is no exception.
I had the fantastic benefit of being her lawyer. I keep in mind satisfying her in your houses of Parliament for the very first time. She had such stature. She was poised and had an air of self-confidence.
We strolled into a little space and it existed that I discovered what her ex-husband Andrew Griffiths, a disgraced previous MP, had actually done to his spouse behind closed doors.
When he was a minister under Theresa May MP, he was likewise raping his other half whilst she was asleep. Sex whilst sleeping is rape. The abuse didn’t stop there. He put his hands around her neck, struck her and was physically violent to her when she was 9 months pregnant. He even screamed “shut the screw up” to their brand-new born child. He continued his perilous coercive control of her even after they separated.
We currently understood he had a track record for sexual wickedness towards ladies. In 2013, Andrew Griffiths was reported to the cops for harassment by his previous partner whom he cheated on. In 2018, simply weeks after Kate had actually simply delivered, he sent out over 2,000 sexual and violent messages in simply a matter of days to 2 female constituents.
His darker texts consisted of “She’s so adorable. Sweet. I can’t wait to beat her”. Whilst he supported making upskirting a criminal offense in parliament, he was sexting females, “I wish to have the ability to raise your skirts over supper and reveal my good friends”.
The Tory federal government suspended him– just to bring him back for Theresa May MP’s “self-confidence vote”. He was cleared of any misbehavior by the parliamentary requirements guard dog. The huge red neon indication were ablaze for everybody to see. Those in the most senior positions of power turned a blind eye.
In 2019, Kate fearlessly stood versus Andrew Griffiths in the election as an MP in Burton upon Trent and she won. Little did anybody understand that Derby household court was making choices about among the greatest cases of our time. Kate wished to secure her kid from additional damage at the hands of Andrew. She might just do this by showing that he abused her and the kid. She went through a traumatising trial.
Watching her being cross-examined hurt. “You’re lying”, “why didn’t you leave?”, “why didn’t you inform anybody?”, was the line of questioning. Since, Kate reacted, he informed me that nobody would think me since he’s an MP. He utilized his position of power as a minister and MP to rape and abuse his better half with outright impunity. He attempted to silence her.
Thousands of victims of domestic abuse will understand from first-hand experience that practically whatever that occurs in the household courts is secret. I have actually long campaigned that we require to expose the fact. We require openness.
In this case, 2 reporters, Louise Tickle and Brian Farmer, used to release the judgments. Unlike all the other females that I represent, Kate had a platform to expose the fact. Andrew, who rejected accusations made by Kate and “adamantly rejected” rape, combated bitterly versus releasing the judgments. He was attempting to even more manage her. It didn’t work. Mrs Justice Lieven stated, “the court must be sluggish in all cases to be utilized as a way by which one moms and dad looks for additional control over the other. Especially where there have actually currently been findings of coercive control”. We were vindicated.
This case is not over. Andrew Griffiths is still enabled to have
monitored contact with their kid. And if that isn’t dreadful enough, she needs to share of the expenses of monitored contact. This is monetary control– both sickening and perverse. I appealed versus the choice on behalf of Kate. We are waiting on the judgment.
Imagine, you are teen and you find that your daddy raped your mom and after that the household court needed your mom to make you readily available for contact with him. Definitely that is state-sanctioned abuse.
The Ministry of Justice discovered in 2015 that the household courts take a “pro-contact” at all expenses approach even in cases of domestic abuse. This case reveals that the federal government requires to urgently alter the law. We require an anticipation of no contact for violent moms and dads.
But what this case reveals most strongly is how guys in positions of power can still utilize their status to silence and control victims. Have not we discovered anything from the MeToo motion? It reveals that even an MP, a public figure, a legislator, can be coercively managing of their partner and of other females. We have actually seen a lot of these cases. It can occur to anybody.
Powerful males who abuse requirement to be held liable since victims will just trust the household justice system if they see that criminals are being held liable and kids are being secured.
Victims in the household courts need to not be silenced, for they have a right to self-identification and self-determination. If we wish to alter the system together, we should have the ability to speak the offensive.
Source: It was ideal to expose Andrew Griffiths as an abuser; effective males need to be responsible