Sir John Hayes

Both those points are salient, as is the fear that people have of leaving the relationship because of what might happen to the animals. This is used as a means of control, but the animals and the individuals concerned—the people, the owners—become frightened, and in the end the animals become neglected, as the hon. Lady has described, so there is a series of correlations. I know the Government are aware of this, and I shall say why in a second, but now is the time for action. We know that an early warning sign of an abusive partner is the way that they treat pets, as it is one of the questions asked in the domestic abuse, stalking and harassment risk assessment—the DASH—that is routinely used by the police across the UK to determine a victim’s risk. Research undertaken by Refuge4Pets, which works with Dogs Trust, found that almost nine in 10 households who experienced domestic abuse have said that their animals were abused first. In 49% of those cases, animals were killed by the abuser. It is not just neglect or cruelty—it is the death of animals, alongside the death of people. A study by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Northeastern University found that animal abusers are five times as likely to also harm other humans. Some 70% of people who committed animal abuse also had criminal records that included crimes of violence, property, drugs or disorderly behaviour. In 88% of households experiencing domestic abuse, the perpetrator also abused animals. Some 97% of domestic abuse professionals encountered cases of pets being harmed as coercion. In 49% of those cases, the animals died, as they did in the case of Holly’s pets. So the correlation between animal abuse and domestic abuse is crystal clear.