A WOMAN who suffered at the hands of her former partner has spoken out about the need for greater protection for domestic violence victims.

The mother-of-two says that - to her knowledge - she has never been contacted by the probation services, despite being a victim of serial abuser Jamie Weatherby.

Former partners of Weatherby, who used to live in Wychbold, near Droitwich, previously issued a public warning about him, following his release from prison last month.

One of his ex-girlfriends, who does not wish to be named, agreed with a report published yesterday, which raised concerns about protection for domestic violence victims.

The 26-year-old mum, from Redditch, said: "I think it's disgusting that probation haven't been in touch with me.

"I've not heard anything about Jamie [from the authorities] since three days before he was released.

"I had a phone call on Friday [August 10] that he was being released on the Monday. I don't think that's long enough.

"I should have known at least a week in advance, I still live in the same property that Jamie assaulted me in."

The victim said she thought it was a police employee who told her about Weatherby's scheduled release - not a probation worker.

She thinks perpetrators should have to inform the authorities about any new relationships they enter so that their partners can be warned.

On April 27, Weatherby was jailed for assaulting her and a previous ex-girlfriend.

He was handed a 17-week and 26-week sentence for each assault, respectively, and was imprisoned from April 27 to June 1, according to his 26-year-old victim.

On June 1, he was sentenced to 12 months in prison for dangerous driving, although he was released early on a home detention curfew on August 13.

In the government report published yesterday, Dame Glenys Stacey, chief inspector of probation, said: "Too often we were left wondering how safe victims and children were, especially when practitioners failed to act on new information. Community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) play a crucial role in supervising perpetrators of domestic abuse and we found they were nowhere near effective enough.”

The Worcester News approached Warwickshire and West Mercia Community Rehabilitation Company for comment but a manager told us to speak to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ).

The MOJ responded with a statement from prisons minister Rory Stewart. 

Mr Stewart said CRC contracts are ending early and added that victims will be get more support through the Domestic Abuse Bill.

Katie Ghose, chief executive of Women’s Aid, added: “In cases of domestic abuse offences, it is vital to have the right response from probation services. Survivors of domestic abuse need to be protected, and the threat from perpetrators must be managed.

“This report shows that community rehabilitation companies are failing victims, with a significant lack of understanding about domestic abuse, especially coercive control.

"Probation officers are routinely underestimating the ongoing danger posed to the victim, and not reassessing the level of risk involved when circumstances change.

"The findings of this report show that community rehabilitation companies are currently not fit for purpose when it comes to domestic abuse cases, and we call on the government to urgently change this to protect survivors.”