Father of murdered Gloucestershire girl says Clare's Law would have saved his daughter
Clare's Law was introduced on International Women's Day nine years ago after our campaign following the death of Clare Wood
Last updated 9th Mar 2023
The father of a woman who was stabbed to death in Gloucestershire has praised a law that allows people to search their partner's backgrounds, and says his daughter would still be alive if it was in place at the time.
Hollie Gazzard was stabbed to death in Gloucester in 2014 by her ex-partner. In the six years before they met, he had been arrested 23 times.
Clare's law was introduced on International Women's Day 2014, after our campaign following the death of Clare Wood, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend. It allows people to approach their local police force for disclosure on a person's criminal past. Unfortunately, the law only came into force the month after Hollie died.
Nick Gazzard, who now runs a domestic abuse charity, says, "He was arrested 23 times prior to Hollie, and he had put two previous partners into hospital. She would have known about that, and I'm sure we would have had a different ending."
It comes after new data was released which shows that almost 100 people across Gloucestershire have been warned by Police of their new partner's violent past.
Yesterday marked nine years since the legislation was enacted, and Nick says the awareness of Clare's law needs to continue. Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, he says, "We need everyone to know about it so everyone can apply for it when they see something is happening, that is not quite right, and when they need protection from their partners.