Longford women's link to host eight stages training conference

Longford Women's Link has secured funding to host a major conference early next year with a renowned domestic homicide criminologist which their Domestic Violence Service Co-Ordinator believes can help to save lives.

Professor of Public Protection at the University of Gloucestershire Jane Monckton Smith hosted a major conference in May 2023 entitled 'Responding to the Risk of Domestic Homicide in Rural Ireland'.

The event was part of the Interagency Model Working Group programme in Longford which has seen key agencies (including An Garda Síochána, TUSLA, Courts Service and Longford Community Safety Partnership) working together to establish a model of good practice.

During her visit to county Longford, Prof Monckton Smith gave an acclaimed presentation and training on the '8 stage timeline' of events before domestic homicide.

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The former police officer had previously researched hundreds of cases of intimate partner homicide in 2018 through interviews with bereaved families and public protection professionals and identified 'Eight steps' to homicide and common themes.

Natalie O'Reilly, the DV Co-Coordinator at LWL, told the Leader recently Prof Monckton Smith is returning early next year and she believes all domestic violence professionals and Gardaí should have access to it.

"There is extreme training going on in this building. We've gone to Iceland, Switzerland, previous managers have went to Canada," she said. "There is very crucial, vital training that has went on for us to be able to have the analysis that we do everyday."

Natalie outlined that is why they speak to the best in the business in terms of homicide training and they recently secured funding from the Department of Justice to deliver another replica conference.

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She stated Prof Monckton Smith delivers the 'Eight Stages to Domestic Homicide', which outlines from stage one which will profile the perpetrator.

"That will tell the professionals how to risk assess. When somebody comes to you for help they could just tell you a bit of the situation and you will know, 'She's a stage 5' or 'She's a stage 6', which is already over halfway to the homicide," Natalie said.

"So it is just such a crucial scientific framework that really all professionals should be working by."

The LWL DV Co-Ordinator stated the training has been commended and praised by industry leaders internationally.

"There is no criticisms to this training. It has been backed up. She (Prof Monckton Smith) has been headhunted now to do cold case reviews," she said. "She has also brought a new line of evidence, which is called hidden homicides."

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Natalie stated these are homicides that are going unnoticed and are then being staged as a suicide or an accident.
"Prof Monckton Smith has said they are happening all of the time. It's when the car crashes, it's the overdoses, it's the hanging, it's the asthma attacks," she added.

The eight steps identified to be present and connected in nearly all of the murders studied were firstly the romance developing quickly into a serious relationship, a pre-relationship history of stalking or abuse by the perpetrator.

Other steps were the relationship becoming dominated by coercive control, a trigger threatening the perpetrator's control such as the relationship ending or into financial difficulty, an increase or escalation in the intensity or frequency of the partner's control tactics, such as stalking or threatening suicide, the perpetrator having a change in mindset - deciding to move on, either through revenge or by homicide.

The last two steps are planning - for example the perpetrator buying weapons or seeking opportunities to get the victim alone and finally homicide - the perpetrator killing his or her partner and possibly harming others such as the victim's children.