An advocate for victims of intimate partner violence is applauding an unusual provision added to the recent sentencing of a man from the west coast.

Janet McNaughton of Act Now was responding to the recent sentence imposed on a man by Corner Brook provincial court Judge Wayne Gorman that included his temporary banishment from two west coast communities.

“He took a very, very unusual step. There is a man who was charged with violent offences against his former intimate partner, and he had bail release conditions which would include keeping away from her, and he violated those. So when he was sentenced, Judge Gorman gave him 12 months, but also three years’ probation. And while he is on probation, he will be banned from entering two communities in Newfoundland to keep this woman safe.”

She told VOCM Open Line with Brian Callahan that Judge Gorman’s sentencing points to fundamental flaws in the system.

“We can’t keep these women safe, and I’ve been in this situation where we knew that someone was in terrible danger and we found out two things; the first is that there is no way to make the police aware of the degree of danger that a woman is in. And the second is that even if you did, there is no actual coordinated response to protect the woman. Now, in other places, this problem has been addressed.”

She points to things like a coordinated community response established in provinces like New Brunswick, and ankle monitoring programs introduced in other jurisdictions.