Demi Hannaway family saddened by delay to new law to protect domestic abuse victims

Demi Hannaway’s family have warned that more victims will be put at risk after Justice Secretary Angela Constance said there would be no immediate move to introduce a “Demi’s Law”.

The family called for simple measures to be brought in as a legacy for their daughter, who suffered years of horrific abuse from her violent partner, Andrew Brown, before being found dead at their Airdrie home four years ago.

But they have been left dismayed after Constance insisted she will wait to see the outcome of the inquiry ordered by Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain into the botched police investigation – which could take years.

Demi’s parents now hope they can persuade Constance to change her mind after she agreed to meet them to discuss their concerns.

© Andrew Cawley

Mum Helen said: “We are deeply saddened that the Justice Secretary has chosen to wait for the outcome of the inquiry, something that has absolutely nothing at all to do with making the system safer for victims of domestic abuse.

“We asked for her to adopt very simple but effective measures which would help save lives, and with hundreds of victims facing life-threatening beatings every single week in Scotland, these would have had a huge impact and ­prevented further deaths.

“However, we are delighted that the minister has now agreed to meet us face to face, and we hope that when she hears what happened to Demi and how very simple changes to the system could have saved her and many others, she will change her mind and adopt these as a matter or urgency.”

Police botched the investigation into Demi’s death despite having repeatedly attended the couple’s home on domestic abuse calls. They told her family she had taken her own life.

As a result they cleared the scene within a couple of hours, failed to carry out any forensic tests despite there being huge clumps of Demi’s hair scattered around the floors, blood spatters on the walls and punch marks on the fridge.

The Lord Advocate has since ordered a new investigation into what really happened to the 23-year-old mother of two after a campaign by The Sunday Post revealed police failed to speak to key witnesses and did not even find Demi’s smashed mobile thrown under her bed with the SIM card removed.

Demi’s family and Labour MSP Claire Baker called on the Justice Secretary to adopt Demi’s Law, bringing in measures such as a proactive domestic abuse register for every convicted offender, domestic violence specialists to work closely with police in stations and attending on call-outs as well as accompanying officers when they deliver warnings about an abuser’s past.

Demi’s Law: MSP backs fight to secure justice for tragic mum

They also called for abuse specialists to attend every scene where a death occurs and there is a history of domestic violence, and for those scenes to be considered potential murder scenes until proven otherwise.

Despite all the signs of a hidden or staged homicide in Demi’s case, police failed to call for a forensic post-mortem examination which could have shown whether the scene was staged. Officers cleared the scene within just a couple of hours, telling Demi’s shattered family she had hanged herself with black bin bags from a curtain hook which her father John believes would not even hold his daughter’s weight.

Demi’s family were left to investigate their daughter’s death, only discovering on the day she died that she had secretly been hiding Brown’s vicious attacks, during which he beat and choked her.

Dad John said: “We only found out Demi was a domestic abuse victim on the day she died. No parent should have to do what we have had to do to try to get justice for our daughter.”

Evidence from Demi’s smashed phone eventually played a role in convicting Brown, 34, who remains in jail until later this year, but the court did a “plea deal” removing any suggestion of his involvement in her death.

MSP Claire Baker said she was “disappointed” by the reaction from Constance, calling the suggested measures “sensible, practical and effective”.

She said: “There is no need to wait for the outcome of the Lord Advocate’s inquiry into Demi’s death. It’s nonsensical and more time wasting from this government.”

In reply to the MSP, Constance said: “You outlined several areas of potential ­consideration to ensure this situation is never repeated.

“As I am sure you and Demi’s family are aware, I currently await the outcome of the Lord Advocate’s investigation.

“I consider this to be an important next step, and I hope you would agree that this should form the basis on which to consider any potential actions or changes that may be required in response, including those that you have outlined.

“I think it would be unhelpful to pre-empt the outcome of that process but will ensure your suggestions are taken into consideration as we move forward.”

But on Friday, the Justice Secretary said she would be “happy” to meet Demi’s parents.

She said: “My sympathies lie with Demi Hannaway’s family and loved ones, who have ­suffered a heartbreaking loss. I will be happy to meet them to discuss their concerns.”