Domestic violence survivor fears attack after former partner leaves prison without GPS tag

A domestic violence survivor whose former partner assaulted her and threatened her with a knife says she fears another attack because he has not received a GPS tag weeks after leaving prison. Michelle, 38, lives in a static caravan with her four children and says relatives have been sleeping on the floor to help protect the family.

Her former partner was released on 15 October after previous recalls to prison for breaching probation conditions. Michelle said her police liaison officer had assured her that a tracking device would be fitted. With his movements still unmonitored, she fears he could target her home, attack her eldest son, now 18, or try to abduct their three-year-old boy. She described herself as “living in terror”.

Michelle said the violence began in early 2024, when her former partner, who used crack cocaine, punched her in the face. Police arrested him and he was released on bail. The next day, she said, he forced his way into her rented home by kicking in the door and threatened her with a knife. Her eldest son, then 16, intervened after the man held her down by her hair.

In November 2024, he received a 38-month prison sentence after being convicted of two counts of assault by beating and one of affray. Following his release in February 2025, he was prohibited from approaching Michelle’s home or entering her town. He breached probation conditions in July 2025 and in April and August 2026. Photographs posted by him and his friends showed him visiting parties and pubs in places he was barred from entering. Michelle reported two breaches, each leading to a 56-day recall.

Michelle said she had been forced to leave her five-bedroom privately rented house for a caravan after advice from the council. Fear of another attack has also restricted her children’s lives. She is among hundreds of domestic violence survivors questioning why offenders leave custody before the contractor Serco fits their tags. “Tags should be fitted in prison before they walk out the door,” she said.

A report by the chief inspectors for prisons and probation found that almost half of offenders were not tagged promptly after release. In one in 10 cases, fitting took up to five months. The inspectors also found that Serco could be judged to have achieved its performance targets by attempting installations, without devices necessarily being fitted and working.

Offenders being absent from an agreed address when contractors arrived was a major obstacle, accounting for a third of the 5,000 offenders living in the community without tags. The prison officers’ union, POA, has urged justice secretary Alex Norris to consider training prison staff to fit and activate devices before release. Its national chair, Mark Fairhurst, called for a formal assessment of bringing the work into the public sector.

Vikki Slade, the Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, raised Michelle’s situation in parliament and called for stronger protection for domestic violence survivors with children. The Ministry of Justice said it was addressing a justice system damaged by underinvestment, expanding electronic monitoring and increasing the number of offenders tagged before leaving prison.

Serco said it attempted to install a monitoring device on everyone required to wear one. Where fitting was unsuccessful, or release conditions were breached, the company said it notified the relevant authorities, which were responsible for deciding what further action to take.