Cherie Booth backs drive to combat domestic violence

Cherie Booth QC told yesterday of the distress she suffered as a young lawyer representing abused and battered women.

At the launch of a government initiative on combating domestic violence, the Prime Minister's wife said she had been "shocked" while "cutting her teeth" as a 23-year-old working in the county courts.

Ms Booth, in her increasingly high-profile role, said it was, "sobering to realise that behind closed doors ... horrific abuse is a daily reality".

Ms Booth, a trustee of the domestic violence charity Refuge, said statistics showing the amount of domestic violence were, "staggering and awful".

She said: "In the UK, a domestic violence incident occurs every 26 seconds. In England and Wales, a woman is killed by a current or former partner every three days."

The Government declared it now had a "zero-tolerance" policy towards domestic violence – ranging from mental torture to assault and murder.

The Crown Prosecution Service also published fresh guidance for the courts, police and local authorities on prosecutions for abuse against family members and partners.

In future, assault against a family member or partner, as opposed to a stranger, will be seen as an "aggravating factor" that could lead to a harsher sentence of up to five years in jail.

The CPS wants to increase the number of people who are charged but is often hampered because victims refuse to testify. In future, evidence may be sought from neighbours or family friends if someone is too scared or intimidated to testify.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, David Calvert-Smith, said violence against a member of the family should be taken more seriously by courts, saying it amounted to "a breach of trust". Fresh guidelines say more energy should be invested in supporting the children of families where abuse occurs.

A new ministerial group on domestic violence, incuding Harriet Harman, the Solicitor General, and Barbara Roche, the minister for women, will ensure that all government departments act together to crack down on violent abuse of women.

Mrs Roche, said: "These new guidelines will help ensure those responsible for threatening the safety of any woman, man or child in their own home, will be held accountable."