A STALYBRIDGE man has been hit with the longest sentence in the country for breaching a Domestic Abuse Protection Order (DAPO).
The Correspondent told how the new police power had a huge impact after being brought into Tameside in July.
Now Jon Lord, of Souracre Fold, has been jailed for 19 months for breaching a DAPO, the longest sentence to date.
The 51-year-old was served the order in July, prohibiting him from contacting, visiting or attending the address of the victim.
Conditions are specifically tailored to ensure complete safety and security of victims, and in this case, Lord was under conditions to not contact or attempt to contact the victim, directly or indirectly, or attend locations where she may be.
But after officers responded to reports of an argument, they found him in the company of the victim, therefore breaching his DAPO, leading to his arrest on August 21.
Lord was charged with three counts of failure to comply with a requirement of his protection order and one count of Section 47 assault, causing actual bodily harm.
And he was sentenced in mid-November.
DAPOs are now in action across eight of Greater Manchester Police’s districts, with Oldham and Salford to begin in the new year.
In the week Lord was sentenced, the force made 362 arrests in relation to domestic abuse offences and successfully granted 12 DAPOs.
73 protective welfare checks were conducted to ensure victims feel safe and protected from perpetrators and 134 compliance checks on offenders were carried out to make sure they are not in breach.
Of those, six breaches were identified and charges secured charges on four.
Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker, Greater Manchester Police’s lead for vulnerability, said: “Domestic abuse can take many forms, whether it’s physical violence, sexual abuse, or controlling and coercive behaviour. It’s a complex crime and can often go unreported.
“Combatting domestic abuse remains a key priority for the force. We are strengthening our approach through specialist domestic abuse teams and consistently working to ensure victims receive immediate attention, and long-term support.
“DAPOs have been significant in GMP’s approach to safeguard victims, ensuring robust management of offenders and regular contact with victims to make sure they have access to the right support channels.
“It is our hope that, with DAPOs rolled out across the region, we can continue to make positive steps in increasing safety in GM and protecting all victims and survivors of abuse.”
Report and support information
Greater Manchester Police encourage any victim of domestic abuse to come forward by either calling 101, reporting on its website, or using its Live Chat service. Always call 999 in an emergency.
Greater Manchester domestic abuse helpline is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm, except bank holidays for anyone experiencing domestic abuse. It includes a language service and advice for the LGBT community.
End the Fear includes information on local help all over Greater Manchester.