STV NewsThe family of a woman who was murdered by her estranged husband believe she may still be alive today if he had been required to wear a tag after being charged with assaulting her.
Stacy Hunter, 35, was found dead at her home in Houston, Renfrewshire, on July 27. The body of her husband Jim Mair, 43, was found nearby.
At the time of Stacy’s murder, Jim Mair had been released on bail after appearing in court charged with assaulting her. He had been told not to approach Stacy.
STV NewsSpeaking to STV News in their first sit-down interview, Stacy’s mother, Ann Grant, and her brother, Sean Hunter, are calling for tougher and more direct action to protect victims of domestic abuse.
They described Stacy as a “natural beauty”, who filled “every minute of the day” bringing people together and hosting gatherings for family and friends – even creating a mini festival in her garden.
They said the family had raised concerns about Jim, and said in the lead-up to Stacy’s murder, they knew things weren’t right.
Sean told STV News: “There were certainly things in the lead up [to Stacy’s death], and I think the last month, or even this year, there were definitely behaviours and comments made where we were led to know that things weren’t right.
“There were obviously signs and things there, but you just never expect that.”
STV NewsAnn added: “We got her and the kids safe and away, and then right enough, the next day, the call came through to Stacy’s phone from Jim’s friend, saying Jim’s looking to get into the house to get clothes. She hadn’t even been told he had been let out on bail.
“Three weeks later, he finally realised that she was following it through [with leaving him] and meant it. He then decided that nobody else was getting to have anything to do with her, and he was taking her out with him.
“He should never have been out on bail, it was just a piece of paper to him,” Ann said.
“He wasn’t listening to it, wasn’t adhering to it. There was nothing for him to answer to. There were days and days nobody knew where he was. Police were not checking up; there was nobody checking up.”
Police ScotlandSTV News has contacted Police Scotland to verify whether Stacy was told her estranged husband had been bailed, or whether Mair was monitored following his release.
Sean said the onus is on victims of domestic abuse to pick up their lives and leave dangerous situations, and more support is needed.
He believes a GPS tracking system, which would monitor an accused’s movements, could offer some protection to domestic abuse victims.
Campaigners are calling for greater use of the technology in Scotland, dubbed Stacy’s Law. A petition has gathered more than 32,000 signatures.
He said: “It all lies on the victim to find a new place to live, go into hiding, find money to escape and all these things that aren’t fairly put upon them, because they’ve not chosen that.
“So I think the GPS tracking system is something that puts a little bit of responsibility onto the accused.”
STV NewsAnn added: “It’s something we’ll never know. If Jim did have that GPS on, would he have approached the house that morning? Stacy might have changed her plans. If she’d had that alarm, she would have stayed safe.
“We don’t know, but she would have had that chance. If this is going to protect or help someone else, then that’s what we want to fight for as well.”
‘Domestic abuse victims need help today’
Earlier this week, John Swinney announced plans to recognise misogyny as a “distinct form of prejudice and abuse” during his programme for government on Tuesday.
He said the Scottish Government would seek to make progress on a previously scrapped misogyny Bill and to launch a multi-year, public health campaign to challenge misogynistic attitudes in boys and young men.
However, Sean believes the move doesn’t go far enough.
“As much as these are great ideas, I don’t feel that they are relevant to what we are trying to push for, to protect people’s lives.
“It may be a bit of future proofing, but there are families out there just now, within Scotland, Britain, and everywhere that they don’t have a year to wait. They’re waiting on help today.”
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