Champion of battered wives is struggling to stay out of jail

Press, 18 July 1979, Page 8

Champion of battered wives is struggling to stay out of jail

From

KEN COATES,

, in

London

The champion of battered wives, Mrs Erin Pizzey, who visited Christchurch last November, has another 60 days in which to pay a $2200 fine, or she will have to go to jail. “It will be touch and go,” said Mrs Pizzey, who four weeks ago was sentenced to nine months imprisonment for contempt of court. The sentence was suspended on condition that Mrs Pizzey pay the fine within three months.

Supporters and women who have been helped at Mrs Pizzey’s Chiswick Women’s Aid Centre in west London have rallied round to contribute a total of $llOO so far.

“But it's a long, slow process, and people are 'beginning to forget,” she said. “It has come in mostly in gifts of a couple of pounds — you

see women haven’t got much money these days." The 39-year-old founder of the refuge for battered wives was brought to court by the Attorney-General. She admitted giving Mrs Rita Williams $2200 to help her go to Ireland with her loyer and children during High Court “care and control” proceedings. Mrs Williams had fled with David Clough from Leeds to Mrs Pizzey’s London centre after a Leeds court ruled that her husband should be given care of the children. Mr Williams sued for custody, but the children were then in Ireland out of the High Court’s jurisdiction. Mrs Pizzey and Mr Clough admitted telling “a pack of lies” to the president of the High Court Family Division (Sir George Baker) when he tried to discover the children’s whereabouts. Clough received a six-

month suspended jail sentence and a $440 fine. Counsel for Mrs Pizzey, Mr John Mortimer, Q.C., told the court Mrs Pizzey had “a genuine and deep-seated terror” of the children’s being returned to their father, who had a history of violence. She had acted as a warmhearted emotional friend. The judge, Mrs Justice Neillron, said she accepted that Mrs Pizzey felt “a deep concern” over the tragic case. Both she and Mr Clough had been overcome by their emotions. Mrs Pizzey, who said after the case that she had learned a lesson, added that the court had been grossly affronted. But the full explanation of why she had taken the action had not come out. She said the father had spent 10 years in jail for manslaughter, and had continued to have violent outbursts. “The judge fortunately

understood what I was doing, and giving me a suspended sentence was the best she could do,” Mrs Pizzey said. “The children are in care, which is not ideal, but is better than being subjected to continual violence — I was desperate.” Mrs Pizzey says court costs awarded against her amount to another $12,200.