THE MUM of a Kidderminster woman who was killed in a road crash has spoken at an event which provided stark statistics, shocking stories and insights into policing methods.
Leanne Vaughan featured at the Evidence Based Policing Conference at the University of Worcester.
Leanne’s daughter – 17-year-old Lily-May – was killed in a crash. She spoke about how the Serious Collision Investigation Unit led its probes and how policing on the roads could prevent harm.
She said: “Having once had my voice stifled by the criminal justice system, the invitation to speak at the conference was profoundly meaningful.
“If my words prompt even one person to reflect, Lily-May’s story will have made a difference.”
The event, attended by students, staff, and representatives from a host of organisations, addressed topics ranging from serious domestic abuse to deaths on our roads.
Other speakers included criminology experts Professor Jane Monckton-Smith and Dr Gillian Harrop, as well as the Chief Constable of West Mercia Police.
Also speaking at the conference were the father of a woman who was killed by her ex-partner and the mother of a girl killed in a road traffic incident.
Nick Gazzard OBE’s daughter Hollie was just 20 when she was stabbed by her ex-boyfriend while she worked at a hair salon. He has since set up a trust in her name and campaigned to educate young people about domestic violence.
Prof Jane Monckton Smith opened the conference with the keynote address, where she discussed statistics relating to domestic abuse, honour killings and partner killings.
She also discussed cases she has worked on in recent years around coercive control and ‘staged homicide’, where a murder is staged as an accident or a suicide.
Michelle Clarke, head of the School of Law at the University of Worcester, said: “We are committed to ensuring we do everything we can do to inform the discussion around how we reduce harm in our society, in all its forms.
“This Evidence Based Policing Conference was a chance to look at the experience and expertise of some incredibly knowledgeable and influential people and see how it can be applied to modern policing methods.
“If we can change the course of behaviours in just one person, we could save a life. Events like this have the potential to enable those changes on a societal basis.”
