UK: Charity raises awareness of same-sex domestic violence following murder case

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LGBT domestic violence charity Broken Rainbow UK has teamed up with Scotland’s police service to raise awareness of same-sex domestic violence following a high-profile murder case.

Alan Baker, 25, was found guilty of murdering John Weir last week at the High Court in Dumbarton.

In January, the 36-year-old father of two was stabbed at least 14 times in the chest by Baker after a number of dates having met on an online gay dating service. It has since been revealed that the convicted man abused five other ex-partners, but no reports were made to the police.

Federico Podeschi, Broken Rainbow CEO, said: “Whilst research and statistics tell us that 38% of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people, and 80% of trans people experience domestic violence and abuse, statistics from police forces and the CPS across the UK show that very few people report these incidents to the police and only a handful of cases are then successfully prosecuted.

“This High Court case demonstrates that the system can work for LGBT people, and that more LGBT people should feel confident to report to the police. Though it is important that police forces and other agencies undertake training and make extra effort to further increase confidence.”

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