A domestic abuse survivor appeared on Good Morning Britain on Monday to describe how her abuser could be released from prison early after serving just 15 months of a five-year sentence. The interview has drawn criticism of the Labour Government and Andy Burnham over the early release scheme.
Mollie Cousins spoke to Richard Madeley and Charlotte Hawkins about her case, explaining that the man convicted of abusing her could be freed in October. She said he had been convicted for “numerous offences,” including “strangulation and intentional suffocation, assault, controlling and coercive behaviour, harassment and sending of indecent images and videos to other people.”
Restraining order breach
Richard Madeley noted that the man was already in breach of an order preventing him from contacting Mollie. She confirmed she has an “indefinite” restraining order with no end date, adding that after his first arrest he was granted bail, then re-arrested and held on remand.
Mollie said she had “no faith” that he would not try to contact her again after an early release, and that she was concerned not only for herself but also for her daughter. Asked how she felt when she learned he could be freed early, she described it as “gutting” and “hard to come to terms with.”
Viewers react
She also said the man had abused other women, noting that a Clare’s Law check after the events led to his arrest and revealed “multiple different women” on the record. “He’s a serial domestic abuser, and he will reoffend,” she said. “If it’s not my daughter or me that he comes for, it’s going to be another woman anyway.”
Following the interview, viewers praised Mollie for speaking out, with one writing: “That young lady is so brave coming on TV. What she endured is horrific.” Others criticised the government, with one tweet reading: “Labour soft on crime, soft on the causes of crime,” and another asking: “Surely there are prisoners who have committed financial or other non-violent crimes who can be released?”
