Lecture notes
Domestic Abuse Seminar 3
Detailed seminar notes for domestic abuse.
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S3 / Domestic AbusePossible to get an essay question about the context of domestic abuse.
Exam = 1 essay, 2 PQs out of a choice of 3?
Key thing will probably be the Domestic Abuse Bill 2019-21.
Great emphasis on the civil remedies, but there is still scope to mention some criminal remedies
if the police are involved (DVPO etc).
Essay = on the first two seminars.
PQs = later seminars (more practical side).
DVPN = 48 hours, best to check things in a statute book (or print the relevant pages from
westlaw).
New bill will essentially widen out the orders, e.g. doesn’t need to be violence or threat of
violence, and it will be able to actually force the abuser to undergo certain behaviour
programmes (alcoholic treatments).
If the Bill doesn’t come through before our exams, it is still worth mentioning.
Occupation Orders:
● NMO are easy to get if you have money and access to legal advice - associated person
is a wide term (s62(3)). Molestation has been widely interpreted too. If you apply for one,
the chances are you will get one.
● OOs are not easy to get. Some of the judges criticise them for taking a person’s home
from them - interfering with property rights. Main sections = 33, 35, 36. 37 and 38 are
only used when neither R or V are entitled (very unusual situation, usually involving
squatters).
○ Entitled occupants = through beneficial interest or through gaining interest. Could
have your name on the title deed. Or married is always s33. If they’re not
married, you have to find a beneficial interest to go through s33.
○ Must ask if they are associated persons and whether the property is occupied by
both parties and is used or intended to be used as a family home.
○ They will then do the significant harm test. B v B = the son had nowhere to go
because of his father, so the scales tipped in favour of the respondent and his
relevant child. Only when it tips in favour of the applicant must the court make an
order, if not they consider other general factors (6) and they could still pass the
order: housing needs; financial resources; likely effect; and the conduct of the
parties.
S 33 = significant harm test first, then general factors
S 35 = general factors first, then significant harm test
S 36 = general factors first, then significant harm questions
The problem question set out below provides you with an opportunity to apply your knowledge
with respect to family law orders.
Tips on how to approach the problem question:
, BREAK IT DOWN: take it step by step, look back through your notes. Start with protection, then
move on to accommodation. The focus in this question is on family law orders as you are
providing advice as Harriet’s lawyer.
Highlight the key areas in the question: what parts are relevant information?
Do not forget to include the legislation and be specific! Make sure you are citing the correct
sections and subsections.
Read the question – who are you advising (Harriet in this case). So, what specifically is the
intention of the question, put yourself in her shoes and look at the situation from her
perspective. So do not answer the question from the perspective of Douglas!
Make sure you apply the law, not just cite the statutory provisions. Make sure you follow on by
asking: why? What is it about these circumstances that makes it relevant? Draw inferences
from the facts as stated in the question.
Do not forget about Question 2 - the variation. You do not have to repeat information but clarify
where the difference in status makes a difference in relation to the remedies available to Harriet.
Douglas and Harriet have been married for 14 years. They have two children, James (10) and
Martha (6). Some 12 years ago they bought a house in which they have lived as a family ever
since. The house was conveyed into Douglas’s sole name as he provided the money for the
deposit and the legal expenses of the purchase. Douglas has been solely responsible for
meeting the mortgage repayments on the house. Although Harriet worked as a legal secretary
before James was born, she did not work outside the home at all while the children were small.
She has recently started working on a part-time basis as a school secretary.
Douglas is a small businessman who has been under considerable stress as a result of the
uncertainty with respect to Brexit and the pandemic. He has started drinking in the evenings
and when Harriet remonstrates with him, he abuses her verbally. This has continued for a
number of months, and the verbal abuse has escalated into physical abuse too. Last night,
having become drunk and belligerent, he strikes Harriet, knocking her against a table and
causing a large gash in her forehead which bleeds profusely. James, having been woken up by
Douglas’s shouting, tries to intervene on his mother’s behalf. Douglas strikes him too, less
violently but with sufficient force to cause bruising and swelling on the boy’s face.
In considerable distress Harriet collects a few clothes together and wakes Martha. She takes
the children to her mother’s flat for the night, more than 10 miles from the family home. It is
clear that she cannot stay there as it is a one bedroom flat and too far from the children’s
school. The next morning, having first consulted the police and a doctor, she is referred to you
(a solicitor) for advice.
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