Outrage after PCC candidate links farmers with domestic abuse
© Tim Scrivener A barrister who is seeking election as police and crime commissioner (PCC) in Wiltshire has sparked outrage after linking farmers with domestic abuse.
Julian Malins is the candidate for Reform UK in the upcoming Wiltshire and Swindon PCC election on 19 August, when he will face competition from four other candidates for the post.
See also: Domestic abuse ‘a hidden rural issue’ that needs exposing
The previous PCC election took place on 6 May 2021, but must be held again after it emerged that the winner, Conservative candidate Jonathon Seed, had a driving conviction and was unable to take office.
Mr Malins QC, 70, the son of an Army chaplain, was asked by a constituent on Facebook about his views on domestic violence and his plans to tackle the issue if he was elected.
The five candidates for the Wiltshire PCC election
- Junab Ali – Labour & Co-operative
- Julian Malins – Reform UK
- Brian Mathew – Liberal Democrats
- Mike Rees – independent
- Philip Wilkinson – Conservative
He replied: “I am worrying about our citizens and what is happening behind closed doors!
“We live in a time when we simply cannot afford to ignore domestic violence, sexual assault and mental health.”
Mr Malins noted: “Friday nights are usually bad – the local farmer goes to the pub, drinks, and then comes home to claim his rights.
“His wife could be the daughter of a farmer, for whom violence is the norm, since her father did the same as a child.
“In our area, it is still not customary to report such things. Isolated from help, victims are simply afraid to make things worse.”
The barrister went on to call for change. “We need as many positive examples as possible when the victim asked for help and was able to get protection from the aggressor.”
Reaction
But his comments sparked fury in the rural community. One farmer said it was “absolutely disgusting” to be “put in the same basket as those scum”.
Another said: “You’d think he’d consider using evidence-based facts rather than anecdote for campaigning for the PCC role (unless playing to a narrow-minded audience).”
A spokesman for the Reform UK party – the new name for the Brexit Party set up by Nigel Farage in 2019 – described Mr Malin’s comments as “slightly fruity language”, but added that they did not represent the views of the party.
“We do not believe that every farmer goes down to the pub on Friday night, then goes home and bashes their wives,” he said.
“However, by making a statement which is slightly bold, maybe he [Mr Malins] is bringing attention to a problem that is generally covered up.
“There are other traditional working communities – not just farming – where this is a problem.
“He feels it’s about time that people in rural communities feel that they can go and be listened to.”
Who is Julian Malins?
Julian Malins studied law at Brasenose College, Oxford, where he won three boxing blues and played rugby for Oxford University, including a victory over the Springboks at Twickenham.
He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1972, became Queen’s Counsel in 1991 and was a part-time crown court recorder for 20 years.
Mr Malins previously served as the Farringdon ward councillor of the City of London and a governor of the Museum of London. He also contested the Pontefract and Castleford (UK Parliament constituency) seat for the Conservatives at the 1987 general election, where he lost to Labour’s Geoffrey Lofthouse.
Mr Malins stood for Reform UK as a candidate for Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner in May 2021, and came last in sixth place, with 4,348 votes.