Calls for domestic abuse register to be implemented 'as soon as possible'

The CEO of Offaly Domestic Violence Support Service - who has seen a ‘tsunami’ of victims contact the service since Covid in 2020 - is backing Jason Poole - the brother of murdered Jennie Poole - for the implementation of a Domestic Abuse Register to help save lives. Jason Poole has called on the Government to implement a number of measures under ‘Jennie’s Law’ to help stop the violence against women at the hands of their partners. Today, marks the fourth anniversary of Jennifer’s murder at the hands of her ex-partner Gavin Murphy (31) on April 17, 2021. Mum-of-two Jennifer, was stabbed to death by Murphy in her apartment in Melville Drive, Finglas in north Dublin when she was just 24. Murphy is currently serving a life sentence for her murder. Jennifer was unaware Murphy had a history of abusive behaviour, including a conviction for assaulting a former partner. She believed Murphy had just returned from Spain, when in fact he had been in jail. Since her death, Jennifer’s brother, Jason has been campaigning for a domestic abuse register, which would allow those with concerns to ask authorities for information about a partner’s violent past. We at Dublin Live are supporting Jason in his campaign for ‘Jennie’s Law.’ Anne Clarke, CEO of Offaly Domestic Violence Support Services says the service is also backing Jason’s campaign saying ‘Jennie’s Law’ would be a vital piece of legislation which would help save lives. “It’s a piece of vital legislation and it’s part of a strategy that should be there to protect any victim of domestic abuse. It’s a no-brainer really so I don’t know why it’s taking so long to introduce,” Ms Clarke told Dublin Live. Gavin Murphy pictured at Blanchardstown District Court, where he was charged in relation to the death of Jennifer Poole at a property on Melville Drive Finglas on Saturday 17th April '21 (Image: Colin Keegan, Collins Agency, Dublin) “Clare’s Law in the UK has been around for about 10 years and it has been quite successful. “We have seen incidents where perpetrators have been serial perpetrators, moving from one victim to another and the victim will never know that person has breached a domestic violence order, or has been found guilty of domestic violence and the victim is completely unaware that they are at a potential risk,” she said. “It’s the right to know and the right to find out. Those two are critical points of the proposed legislation. We are advocating that ‘Jennie’s Law’ be implemented as soon as possible. Jenni Poole Ms Clarke said there has been ‘a steady rise’ of victims contacting the service and more importantly, a rise in client contacts - the number of times the service interacts with a client. “For 2024 we have well over 4,000 client contacts while the previous year it was 3,200,” she said. “So when you have particularly post separation abuse, you have coercive control and these lead to more complex cases. And some of those would be victims of a perpetrator who had a past history and doing the same MO. “What we have found is the threats of violence, threats to kill etc are getting more and more severe. “We are seeing it week in week out and if legislation was there it would certainly help not only the victim but also services like ourselves to put in really good risk assessment models that we can do a whole protection of safety planning for those victims. Jason Poole (Image: Karen Morgan) Ms Clarke said since Covid in 2020 the “figures haven’t stopped rising.” “It’s been like a tsunami since Covid. That’s reflective throughout all the sector and not just ourselves in Offaly. Every service will say they are seeing higher figures, higher client contacts, higher breaches of orders,” she said. Ms Clarke says the rise in figures is a “combination of people knowing about the services and reaching out for support as well as national awareness campaigns making victims realise they can get help. She also says there is a rise “in a level of misogyny culture which she feels is perpetuated with social media at the moment including the Andrew Tates of the social media world. All of these toxic masculinity are making it acceptable to treat women in such a way.” Ms Clarke says the organisation has been backing Jason Poole’s campaign since last November and had him as a guest speaker at their recent conference. “We are getting signatures for Jason’s petition and we have written our support in regards to the Jennie’s Law legislation and we have also spoken to Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan about it as well. “It’s about the government understanding how this legislation is one piece of safety that they can give to women and any victim of domestic abuse.” Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice .

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