Colchester: Man jailed for breaching domestic violence order

A man has been jailed for breaching an order aimed at protecting victims of domestic violence.

Domestic Violence Prevention Orders (DVPO)can be issued if there has been insufficient evidence to charge someone but we have concerns about the safety of the victims.

The orders can require a suspect to leave the premises where the incidents occurred, prevent them from entering the homes of the victims and stop them from making any further contact with them, as well as further provisions.

Wayne Page, 28, of Walnut Tree Way, Colchester, was made subject of a DVPO on 28 June, following a submission by Essex Police, which banned him from attending a particular address for a period of 28 days to protect the victim of his abuse.

The order had been in place for two weeks when we received an emergency call from the victim to state Page had breached it.

Officers quickly attended and he was arrested shortly after.

He attended Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court last Monday (9 July) where the judge had a choice of fining him up to £5,000 or imposing a prison sentence of up to two months.

Following the excellent work of our force lawyers, who presented arguments related to the risk posed, Page was sent to prison for 28 days.

Detective Superintendent Matt Cornish, the force’s lead on domestic abuse, said:

“DVPOs are a really important tool in keeping victims of domestic abuse safe.
“It’s one of a number of options available to us to support the safeguarding for those suffering domestic abuse, particularly when there may not be enough evidence to meet the threshold for a charge.
“Tackling domestic abuse is a key priority for us. We have specialist teams who investigate offences, support victims, and work to break the cycle of domestic abuse.
“Through our innovative and award winning #Reflect campaign, we’re working with the Change Project to encourage perpetrators to recognise their behaviour and seek help to change.
“And our work is having an impact – in the year to the end of May we’ve seen thousands fewer domestic abuse offences and thousands fewer repeat victims.
“In that time we’d made more than 10,000 arrests and nearly 80 percent of cases which make it to court result in a conviction.
“Ninety-eight percent of Domestic Violence Prevention Notices (DVPN) which we have issued were converted into a DVPO by the court when we applied for an order.
“But we’re not complacent and are committed to do more. If you have been affected by domestic abuse or know someone who is, please contact us.”

At Essex Police we put victims at the heart of everything we do. The Victims’ Code explains the rights that everyone can expect to receive as a victim of crime, and helps us define what we must do for all victims from their initial contact with our force until the conclusion of their case.

Find out more about the code and to understand the rights of a victim of crime, on our Support for victims and witnesses of crime page.

To report a crime, please use our digital 101 service. In an emergency call 999. 

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