On October 22, 2014, Claire Throssell’s life changed forever after her ex-husband lured their two children, Jack, 12, and his nine-year-old brother, Paul, to the attic of their family home, before deliberately setting fire to the house, murdering his children and killing himself.
Claire had been subject to her husband’s cruel coercive, physical, emotional and financial abuse throughout their 16-year marriage. After she found the strength to leave her husband, his campaign of brutality didn’t end, but the courts ignored her, and their sons’ wishes. They gave him unsupervised access to their two sons, despite Claire’s concerns that he was very capable of harming them. Her worst fears came true.
Since 2016, Throssell has been an ambassador for Women’s Aid and IDAS (Independent Domestic Abuse Service). Determined to ensure the voices of children never go unheard again, she has played a fundamental role in the implementation of the Domestic Abuse Bill, as well as ensuring survivors of domestic abuse can no longer be cross-examined by their perpetrators in the Family Court.
Claire also played a significant role in pushing for all judges to be trained on the subject of domestic abuse and has spearheaded the Child First campaign, lobbying parliament to abolish the ‘presumption of contact’ guidelines in child custody cases.
For My Boys is Claire’s heartbreaking story and her tale of determination to seek justice for her sons and give a voice to all children who are at risk at the hands of an abusive parent. Her battle with government and court bureaucracy will anger and shock, but Claire’s humbling and remarkable story of strength will inspire.
