Are you a victim of an abusive relationship?

Any right-thinking person will have complete sympathy and understanding towards the likely unwillingness of a victim to testify against their abuser, whether the abuse was in the past or is current. We understand that even though testimony can be taken and acted upon without public identification, the experience of giving it may subject the victim to further trauma, by causing them to recall an episode they will want to leave behind. This may be physical or other forms of abuse.

We hesitate to state the principal practical case for doing so, because in doing even that we might ourselves be accused of applying undue moral pressure, but we do hope that victims would feel able to seek experienced and professional advice if they have not already done so. A good place to start is the independent charity Women’s Aid. Whether or not it is decided actually to seek help, we feel that this page on their site should be read, as it covers important aspects relating to personal safety.

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For now we will only say that, in our opinion, in the case of Jim Perrin’s previous known abuse, if his victims had felt able to come forward — and this in no way a criticism of them — the later abuses perhaps may not have occurred. Surely it is never too late to right a wrong?

Sincerely,

Jac’s Sisters