Mother of murdered University of York student calls for better treatment of abuse victims

The mother of a University of York student who was murdered by her boyfriend has called for changes in how domestic abuse victims are treated.

Bethany Fields was 21 years old when she was stabbed to death by her boyfriend, Paul Crowther, in a street in Huddersfield in 2019.

Her mother, Pauline Jones, has since set up a campaign in her daughter’s memory, advocating for authorities to act faster to protect abused women seeking help, BBC reports. 

Despite reports to police of the threats made to Bethany and three others in the weeks before her murder, police failed to take necessary safeguarding measures.

West Yorkshire Police said it had apologised to Bethany’s parents for missing “opportunities” to protect her.

The campaign, headed by Pauline, uses Bethany’s initials as an acronym but also stands for Believe, React Fast, as a message for the police and other authorities handling cases of abuse when protecting domestic abuse victims.

Ms Jones said: “My daughter was not believed. They didn’t react and they didn’t do it fast enough.

“If someone of my daughter’s calibre could not make herself believed and listened to, then it’s hard to imagine other women making themselves understood. They need to be taken seriously.”

Besides the police, Bethany had also reported concerns surrounding her wellbeing to her GP.

Crowther had previously been arrested nine times under the Mental Health Act and had previously been violent towards at least two other partners.

A domestic homicide review found a series of missed opportunities to address his behaviour, with his background having “met the definition of a serial perpetrator of domestic abuse” at the time Bethany met him, but “this was not recognised by agencies until after he killed Bethany.”

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Ms Jones’ campaign (BRF), went on to be mentioned during Prime Minister’s Questions, in which she said she felt the Prime Minister’s response to her case had been “positive” and that adopting BRF would help the government’s pledge to halve domestic violence against women and girls over the next 10 years.

Katie White, Labour MP for Leeds North West, also raised the issue in Parliament saying there needed to be changes in how domestic violence was treated by society and a “cultural shift” to believing victims.

She said: “At the moment the onus is on victims to prove they’re in danger.”

Chief Superintendent Jim Griffiths of Kirklees Police, said: “We have met with Bethany’s parents and apologised to them for our failings and the lost opportunities to protect their daughter. 

“West Yorkshire Police fully accepted the findings of a Domestic Homicide Review and those of an IOPC investigation following Bethany’s appalling death.    

“All recommendations have been implemented and since 2019 the force has developed and amended its approach to domestic abuse in many ways.   

“Domestic abuse and harassment cases are reviewed daily in each of the force’s districts.  Investigators are also trained to identify and review cases where repeated incidents are occurring to assess the increasing risk posed to victims by escalating behaviour. 

“This includes the requirement to consider threats to life assessments where appropriate. We are striving to make better use of operational intelligence to reduce perpetrator offending and are working closely with colleagues in mental health services to ensure all people receive appropriate mental health support, when it is needed most. 

“Last year the force also trained more than 3,000 members of staff to better understand how domestic abuse perpetrators seek to coerce and control their victims.  

“While we are committed to continual learning, we realise this won’t bring back Bethany, who lost her life in truly horrific circumstances.”  

Featured image via West Yorkshire Police