Latest news with #MarcellaLeonard
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Cousin of Concepta Leonard says ministers need to do more to protect abuse victims
The relative of a woman murdered in her own home has said executive ministers have not done enough to help victims of domestic abuse, following the murder of Vanessa Whyte and her children, James and Sara Rutledge on Leonard, 51, was killed at her home near Maguiresbridge in County Fermanagh in May was stabbed to death by Peadar Phair before he took his own cousin, Marcella Leonard told BBC News NI that the justice and health ministers have not done enough to better understand the needs of victims, since her cousins death. Speaking to Evening Extra, social worker Marcella Leonard asked "How do the agencies and our government respond appropriately to make sure that they can feel that everything is actually being done to try to prevent this from happening again?"Addressing the issue of what has changed since the death of her cousin, Mrs Leonard said "there is certainly a greater awareness of domestic violence being on the strategic agenda's, certainly councils are being very proactive around education, there has definitely been an improvement in raising awareness that this happens."However, Mrs Leonard added: "Do I genuinely believe that the justice ministers and health ministers have done everything that I would expect them to do in response to get a better understanding of the needs of victims? Very sadly, no." 'Absolute priority' "I don't believe that any other society, if they had the statistics that Northern Ireland are having at the moment, this would be an absolute priority."She added that "unfortunately here in Northern Ireland our politicians do not see that as a priority.""I know that they can come on the radio and talk about their strategic plans, but that is not filtering down to their investment in resources or services."Marcella Leonard is a qualified social worker with 35 years experience in child, adult, public safeguarding and protection. She has also carried out reviews of some government services. Mrs Leonard said she "had such concern over the lack of proactiveness of the justice department acting on a report I did in relation to a review of MARAC (multi-agency risk assessment conferences), that I directly asked to speak to the justice minister and that left me feeling worse about things, rather than reassuring me."BBC News NI has contacted the Department of Justice for a response. Mrs Leonard also called for greater availability of services to help victims. "It sits with them to set the strategic vision, but also to provide the investment into the services on the ground that make the practical difference, to be able to have 24 hour response, helplines and residential places for safety," she said. "If I think of my cousin I think of someone who would not have been perceived of someone who would've been at risk, we need to have a better sense of that it can happen within any age group, race, culture and creed."We have to recognise that this can happen to any person."Following the murders on Wednesday, the Health Minister Mike Nesbitt and the Justice Minister Naomi Long issued issued a joint statement saying: "We are horrified and heartbroken to learn of the tragedy that has occurred in Maguiresbridge."We send our deepest sympathies to the families affected and to the wider community in County Fermanagh," they said."The shock of this terrible event is being felt by many people and we would urge those in need of support to reach out to services provided within the Health and Social Care system, and in the voluntary and community sector."
Reuters
07-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Dark and dangerous shadow of stalking hovers over growth of women's sport
MANCHESTER, England, March 7 (Reuters) - Emma Raducanu described being unable to see the ball through her tears after spotting a stalker at a match last month, and the image of the British tennis player taking refuge behind the umpire's chair encapsulated the darker side of women's sports. On the eve of International Women's Day, opens new tab, women's sports are celebrating greater participation numbers and an unprecedented surge in popularity, but the rise of social media exposure and increased visibility have made women athletes more vulnerable than ever, experts say. "People wanting photographs, people coming up close to (athletes), wanting to put their hands on them -- you've got a different dynamic with sports stars," safeguarding consultant Marcella Leonard told Reuters. "There's an expectation that they should be nice to the public, they should allow the public to touch them, they should allow them to get photographs. "That gives a stalker the permission to do what they want to do and that's a really serious issue." Although one-in-five women in the UK will experience stalking at some point in their lives, there are no scientific studies around the stalking of athletes, Canadian forensic psychologist Sarah Coupland said in an interview with Reuters. Between 35% and 75% of people in the public eye such as politicians and television presenters, however, experience stalking, she added. The 22-year-old Raducanu had not yet been born when world number one Monica Seles was stabbed in the back by a fan in a 1993 on-court attack that brought the risk of stalking starkly into the public eye. MULTIPLE STALKING INCIDENTS Despite it being an under-reported crime, there have been countless stalking stories since, including several in the past few months. Last month, Michael Lewis was arrested on a felony stalking charge after he repeatedly sent threats and sexually violent messages to Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark. The 55-year-old told Clark he had been "driving around your house three times a day." In December, 40-year-old Robert Cole Parmalee pleaded guilty to charges of stalking University of Connecticut basketball player Paige Bueckers. Parmalee had posted on social media that he was travelling to Connecticut to propose to the player and to get her expelled from the university. Last month, a distressed Olympic 200 metres champion Gabby Thomas posted on TikTok about her frightening experiences with a group of men who had stalked her at several airports. Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee and tennis player Coco Gauff were among the athletes who replied to her post, saying they had similar experiences while travelling. Social media gives female athletes more exposure than ever, which is a double-edged sword as it opens up the possibility for fans to develop "parasocial relationships," said Coupland. "You've got a person who's consuming a piece of media, and they start to form a one-way relationship," she said. "The relationship is viewed (by the fan) as mutual, even though the (athlete) has no way of knowing that the person is actually there." BRAND EXPOSURE Since athletes with large followings can amplify brands, sport sponsorship contracts usually require athletes to post on their social media platforms. Stephanie Hilborne, the chief executive of the UK-based Women in Sport charity, said sponsors and sport organizations need to stop pressuring female athletes. "It's just so wrong. The opposite should be true. Female athletes should be protected more and advised to do less exposing of their personal life," she told Reuters. "It's almost like as part of the mechanism for righting the wrongs of the past, where no investment or sponsorship were made in women's sport, women are expected to expose themselves to additional risk. It couldn't be more wrong, could it?" The majority of stalking results in psychological harm, Coupland said. "Anxiety, potentially post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, depression, changes in functioning, ability to go to work, or in athletes' performance," she said. Raducanu told reporters she "could barely breathe" when she spotted her stalker, who had previously approached her in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha, in the crowd at the Dubai Championships. It was not her first experience. Three years ago, another stalker Amrit Magar was given a five-year restraining order after he turned up at Raducanu's London house on several occasions, leaving unwanted gifts and cards and stealing personal items. Some sport federations are ramping up their online protection of athletes. World Athletics recently offered 25 athletes year-round AI protection on their social media platforms after they were targeted by cyber bullies. The Premier League and Women's Super League have been monitoring players' social media accounts for several years.
