Coventry activist calls for serial domestic abusers to be on register

Zoe Dronfield was badly beaten by her former partner and now campaigns for a domestic abuse register

Serial domestic abusers and stalkers should be included on the sex offenders register, a campaigner says.

Zoe Dronfield nearly died when she was stabbed in the neck and stamped on by her ex-boyfriend and is calling for the changes.

Current laws do not go far enough to stop repeat offenders Ms Dronfield, from Coventry, said.

The Home Office said it was bringing in new measures to "go further than ever" in protecting women and girls.

Jason Smith was sentenced to 10 years in jail in 2015, for the attacks on Ms Dronfield.

After he was convicted, 13 other woman came forward saying they had been victims of controlling behaviour by him.

Ms Dronfield said she could have died during Smith's attack, which also left her with a broken nose and eye socket.

She said the government previously looked at the issue of serial perpetrators, but had not made it a legal requirement for them to register.

'Concentrate on high-risk offenders'

"[Former Home Secretary] Priti Patel put it into the tackling domestic abuse guidance back in March 2022, but nothing has been done," she said.

"We kind of shout out on social media this is a big win for us, but actually this is why we need it enshrined in law... so this is a mandatory thing, not just guidance.

"The intricacies of how that works need to be looked at and worked out, but actually if we concentrate on the high-risk offenders that is going to save lives."

Home Secretary Suella Braverman's new measures would go further than previous ones, a spokesperson said.

"These measures include legislating so that individuals convicted of controlling or coercive behaviour, and sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment or more, will now have their information shared via ViSOR (formerly known as the Violent and Sex Offender Register)."

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, there are a list of organisations that may be able to help at BBC Action Line.