Domestic abusers will no longer be able to cross-examine their victims during family and civil proceedings, the Government has announced.
Victims will be spared the trauma of being quizzed by their abusers in family and civil courts, with this already banned in criminal trials, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said. Instead, cross-examination will be carried out by a court-appointed legal professional.
It follows concerns that perpetrators were using the court process to further abuse and re-traumatise their victims. The change came into force on Thursday (July 21) as part of the Government’s Domestic Abuse Act.
