A domestic abuse victim said she was left fearing for her life after a company which obtains restraining orders accidentally leaked her home address to her ex-partner.
Speaking to The Independent, Lola* said the data breach happened when she was applying for a non-molestation order through the National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV) several years ago.
Lola said the centre served her abusive ex-partner the restraining order in person, accidentally handing him a piece of paper containing her address – despite repeated pleas for her address not to be shared with him.
“They did not apologise for doing this for over a year,” the 35-year-old said. “They wouldn’t accept responsibility and they said it was my fault or tried to cast blame on others. They treated me appallingly.”
Lola’s story comes as The Independent continues its Brick by Brick campaign, in partnership with the leading domestic abuse charity Refuge, to raise funds to build two houses for women escaping abusive partners. The initial £300,000 target has recently been reached thanks to generous donations from readers, with more than £500,000 of donations pouring in so far and plans already underway for the building of a second home.
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Non-molestation orders, which can last up to a lifetime and are issued through the civil courts, often restrict where abusers can go or whom they can approach, and can be used to prevent a partner or ex-partner from using or threatening violence against a victim or their child.
Lola, who now lives in southeast England, said she wanted to move house but could not afford to, and described how the data breach and the centre’s subsequent handling of the incident left her with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“It left me fearing for my life,” she added. “It made me physically so unwell.”
After the data breach, police visited to carry out escape route plans and check the doors had a deadlock.
“I couldn’t afford to move,” Lola said. “I actually was homeless [previously] and a charity housed me. If I had been able to afford it, I would have moved in a heartbeat.”
A spokesperson for the NCDV apologised for the error and said the organisation “deeply, deeply” regrets its mistakes.
If I had been able to afford it, I would have moved in a heartbeat
“I didn’t sleep, really,” Lola said. “It really affected my sleep patterns. Every time I heard a noise on the street, I would literally have a heart attack. It was such a physical feeling.”
She was with her abusive ex-partner for several years, enduring coercive control and physical intimidation, she said.
Lola added: “It was intimidation tactics to keep me submissive and quiet. He used the silent treatment which is psychologically really abusive. We lived in the same house. He wouldn’t speak to me for a couple of weeks.
“There has been post-separation abuse. A lot of people think when you leave the abuse stops, but it doesn’t. There were several incidents where he found the address. My car got vandalised. I had a stone thrown at my window – thankfully it didn’t break. My garden got vandalised – there were flower pots chucked everywhere.”
She said she reported his abuse to the police after escaping the relationship but claimed officers did not handle the case properly. She added one officer did recognise the risk her ex-partner posed and advised her to get a non-molestation order.
“I started the process of applying for the non-molestation order – they rang me because it was a police referral,” Lola said.
“I gave a statement on the phone about the abuse and repeatedly said don’t give him my address. I was terrified he was going to find out. They reassured me they wouldn’t do it, and they marked on my file not to give my address so I still don’t know how they did it.”
I didn’t sleep, really. It really affected my sleep patterns. Every time I heard a noise on the street, I would literally have a heart attack. It was such a physical feeling
She said the National Centre for Domestic Violence initially denied leaking her address to her abuser but her lawyers looked into the case and discovered the breach had come from them.
Lola added: “We found out later they didn’t have proper policies and procedures in place when the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) investigated them. We found out they weren’t handling data properly.
“When I was ignored by the National Centre for Domestic Violence it took me back to when I was ignored by my ex. They ignored my solicitors. Legally you can’t just ignore solicitors which legally opened it up to become a human rights case.”
Lola, who now campaigns against domestic abuse, said the centre apologised to her in December last year.
“You learn to live with it,” she said of the data breach. “The fear becomes part of my everyday life. I am less scared than I was. It has been a rebirth. I found a part of me I lost in the abuse.”
A spokesperson for the ICO said it conducted a “consensual audit” of the NCDV and it has since improved its practices.
A spokesperson for the NCDV said the organisation was “reaudited” by the ICO and “given a clean bill of health”.
”We have learned a great deal from this episode and its aftermath,” the spokesperson said. “Since this incident, we have reviewed our internal procedures and made changes to mitigate against future risk.”
They added: “We apologised unreservedly for our original and subsequent mistakes, and we have paid full compensation for distress and professional counselling.”
Please donate now to the Brick by Brick campaign, launched by The Independent and charity Refuge, to help raise another £300,000 to build a second safe space for women where they can escape domestic abuse, rebuild their lives and make a new future. Text BRICK to 70560 to donate £15.
*Lola’s name has been changed to protect her identity
