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Michelle has been a reporter at Hits Radio previously KEY103 since 2005 and has been a journalist for the past 20 years.
As Chief Reporter she was used to being called to report on hard hitting subjects including murders and although always difficult it was part of the job. When she got the call that Clare Wood had been murdered in February 2009 she went out to follow and report on the case. Clare was 36 and was murdered then set on fire by her previous partner George Appleton. He was dubbed the “Facebook Fugitive” who went on the run before hanging himself.
Clare was a Mum and had met Appleton on Facebook; she was unaware of his violent past including harassment, threats and the kidnapping at knife point of one of his ex-girlfriends. Clare was unable to get this information due to data protection.
Following the inquest two years later, Michael Brown, Clare’s Father, asked Michelle if she would help him launch a campaign in Clare’s name after he learned during the inquest of Appleton’s history of violence.
Michelle readily agreed and interviewed domestic abuse charities as well as the Association of Chief Police Officers who said there were 25,000 serial perpetrators that they knew of who had abused two or more partners in the space of three years.
With Michael, Michelle set up a petition which was delivered to Downing Street with thousands of names on it all supporting and calling for a change in the law.
Following a meeting with the Home Secretary in September 2012, Clare’s Law (Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme) was launched as a pilot scheme across four areas of England and Wales.
For the first time, women would be able to access information from the police about their partner’s history therefore being able to make an informed choice about their future.
On International Women’s Day 2014 Clare’s Law was rolled out across England and Wales. In the first 10 months of Clare’s Law being rolled at least 1,335 disclosures were made – that equates to five women or men a day being told that their partner has a violent past.
Clare’s Law has subsequently been introduced in Scotland and also Canada. Clare’s Law will be cemented into law as part of the Domestic Abuse Bill 2020.
Michelle has been awarded Sony IRN, 02 Media and Arquiva award for campaigning journalism and also a Road Safety media award from the charity ‘Brake’.
