Streeting and Mahmood’s jokes about early release are an insult to victims like me

They made a joke about it, for which both hastily apologised (Picture: BBC News) ‘He wanted to let them all out!’ Defence Secretary Wes Streeting joked with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood yesterday outside Downing Street about the early release of prisoners, but I didn’t find it funny. In the footage, first reported by Metro’s Senior Political Reporter Craig Munro, we were given a small insight into what politicians talk about when they think nobody is listening, and I was shocked to hear what it was. When discussing Justice Secretary Alex Norris’ new role in Andy Burnham’s cabinet, Mahmood and Streeting suggested he wanted to let all prisoners out on early release. And they made a joke about it, for which both hastily apologised. As someone who has lived through domestic abuse before the perpetrator was released early, I know what it is like to understand that the person who caused you harm could suddenly be back in your life. It’s no joking matter – it is, in fact, absolutely terrifying. I will always remember the very first time my ex hit me – when a woman rang his phone while he was out of the room and I mentioned it, he punched me. I froze. I’d never been hit by a man before. He apologised, telling me he’d never done that before, but he was gaslighting me. I first met him as a teenager and he was almost a decade older than me – I didn’t even know that he’d previously been in jail or that he used drugs. So when he gave me some white powder, I had no idea it was heroin. That’s what he ended up using to control me for 13 years. I first met him as a teenager and he was almost a decade older than me (Picture: Getty Images) Then, in 2020, he attacked me over the course of several days: I was raped, punched, strangled, stabbed, hit and kicked in my crotch. I only managed to escape when someone he knew turned up at the house. My ex drove the three of us to a local petrol station; as soon as he left the car, I ran into the shop screaming for help. He came in after me claiming I was ‘off my meds’ and tried to carry me out over his shoulder despite my pleas. Everyone there could see that I had been assaulted and was very scared. Someone called the police and my ex was arrested as he tried to flee. What do you think about politicians joking about sensitive topics such as early prisoner release? It is highly inappropriate and disrespectful.Check It depends on the context of the joke.Check Joking about it can sometimes be a coping mechanism, so it is not that serious.Check Cut through political noise and understand how the Westminster chaos actually affects your life with Metro's award-nominated politics newsletter Alright, Gov?. The police took me to a rape clinic straight away and I was interviewed. He denied the charges right up until the trial though he was eventually convicted of kidnap, attempted murder and rape, with the rape charge dropped when he took a plea deal admitting to the other charges. In my victim statement I told the judge the full extent of the countless years of abuse I’d been put through. My nightmare was over. Or so I thought. The judge made it clear that my ex was a danger to women and the public, and that he was giving the maximum sentence he could. But he didn’t spend long in jail. People making decisions about early release may not fully understand what it feels like for a survivor (Picture: James Manning/PA Wire) After only six years in prison, in March last year, I received a phone call to tell me my ex was going to be released that afternoon. I got told on the day, which is standard practise, and doesn’t give victims of DV near enough time to prepare. Now, I’m sentenced to a lifetime of anxiety, and I’m sickened to see some of the most powerful people in the country appear to consider this ripe for joking. I wish people knew the effect that domestic abuse has. It’s not just the violence, it’s the mental torture: We don’t live a normal life. Politicians making decisions about prisoners’ release need to remember that these are not just statistics or numbers in a prison system; these are decisions that can have a very real impact on people’s lives and their sense of safety. My concern is that the people making decisions about early release may not fully understand what it feels like for a survivor to know that the person who abused them could be walking free again. Learn more about domestic abuse in the UK One in four women experience domestic abuse It takes an average of seven attempts for a woman to leave for good Police record a domestic abuse every 40 seconds. Less than 20% of women who experience partner abuse reported it to police 84% of domestic abuse victims are women – 93% of defendents are male Disabled women are twice as likely to experience domestic abuse Source: Refuge A release date can bring back fear, anxiety and trauma that they have spent months or years trying to overcome. The comments made by senior politicians have only reinforced for me why this conversation needs to be handled with much greater sensitivity. This is not a political game or a subject for casual jokes. Last night, Wes Streeting tweeted about how sorry he was, saying ‘I hope everyone can see there was no ill intent’. Shabana Mahmood followed up with a similar apology, using it to make a jab at the Tory government. This is not a political game or a subject for casual jokes (Picture: Sameer AL-DOUMY / AFP via Getty Images) Streeting referenced an ‘old May/Clarke joke’ in his statement – which I neither understand nor care to. But it caused me significant distress, and that should matter more than some joke they were making. People’s lives should matter more. I’ve lost over half of my life to being abused in every kind of way. Women are dying every week: they are being murdered, and taking their own lives as a result of domestic abuse, too. Children are still going into care. I’m terrified now that my ex is out of prison. The judge granted a rare lifetime restraining order and he is not allowed on certain streets where our extended families live but the only time I will truly feel safe is when he is six feet under. No one should have to live like this, and no one, especially politicians, should be laughing about the trauma I’m going through because of them. Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. Share your views in the comments below. 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