Abuse victim changes identity and flees Britain to 'other side of world' as first batch of early release prisoners are allowed to leave jail
A survivor of domestic abuse is preparing to take on a new identity and leave Britain entirely with her two children, after losing all confidence that the state can shield them from her former husband's early release from prison.
Karen Haynes, 54, a special needs teacher from Wales, plans to emigrate with her daughter, 26, and son, 17, to prevent her ex-husband, Christopher Haynes, 59, from finding them.
He is due to walk free after serving just a third of his 21-month sentence for coercive and controlling behaviour spanning three decades.
She told The Telegraph: "We are emigrating to the other side of the world. We have sold the house. We are packing boxes and we will leave as soon as we can."
During their marriage, the court heard how Christopher Haynes progressively tightened his control over every aspect of his wife's existence, from dictating her social contacts and household visitors to choosing what music could be played at home.
He belittled her colleagues as "below him" and pressured her to abandon her career.
He claimed to hold influential connections within the Freemasons, using them to intimidate her with threats that it would take just "one call, one bullet" to have her killed.
In her victim impact statement, Ms Haynes said: "For 26 years nearly 10,000 days I lived in a state of terror."
She added: "I walked on eggshells, endured public humiliation and watched him manipulate others into unknowingly participating in his abuse."
The couple separated in 2021, though police inquiries and court delays meant he was not sentenced until April this year, receiving 24 months reduced by 10 per cent for a guilty plea.
Charities report that numerous victims of domestic abuse, stalking and violence have already relocated or entered refuges ahead of the releases, unconvinced that official risk assessments and electronic tagging offer adequate protection.
Dame Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner, said: "As the first perpetrators start to be released, survivors across the country will be looking over their shoulder and living in fear because the Government and our criminal justice system has failed to protect them."
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According to Women's Aid, nearly 79 per cent of victim support organisations reported that survivors were frightened for their children's safety.
Alice Russell-Harris of Refuge called on ministers to pause the early release of abusers until "necessary safeguarding measures, risk assessments and adequately resourced services are in place to properly support survivors".
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "Domestic abuse has a profound and lasting impact on victims, and we are determined to stamp out these vile crimes - investing £1billion in support services, placing domestic abuse specialists in 999 call centres and rolling out the strongest ever protection orders to keep victims safe.
"Within the first weeks of coming into office, we took action to keep more of the most dangerous criminals locked up, meaning that anyone in prison for rape, child sex abuse offences and manslaughter will now stay behind bars."
They added: "We wanted to go further but, because of the prison crisis we inherited, doing so would risk the prison system collapsing – leaving police unable to arrest domestic abusers and putting victims in danger
"Anyone who is released, faces the toughest-ever controls on their movements, including world-first restriction zones and the largest expansion of electronic tagging, with victims having a say in their preparators’ licence conditions."
However, Reform MP Sarah Pochin, a former magistrate for two decades, told GB News: "Somebody needs to highlight the danger to these women who are currently terrified in their homes."
She attributed the prisoner release scheme to the lack of jail spaces built under the previous Tory administration and Labour, branding them an "absolute betrayal of the security and safety of British citizens."
The Reform MP added: "We have to get these prison spaces freed up. But this today is not the way to do it, because this puts the safety of women at risk.
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