'Brave and passionate' Clare's Law campaigner Michael Brown dies

"Brave and passionate" campaigner Michael Brown, who fought for a law change in the law after his daughter was murdered by her ex, has died.

Mr Brown pushed for a legal change to give a person the "right to know" about a partner's violence past, after Clare Wood was killed in her Salford home.

Following his campaign, the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, known as Clare's Law, was introduced in 2014.

The 76-year-old from Batley died on Saturday after a short illness.

Ms Wood was murdered by her ex-boyfriend George Appleton in 2009. He was found hanged in a derelict pub six days later.

The 36-year-old mother-of-one had met him on Facebook but knew nothing about his history of violence against women - he had been jailed in 2001 for breaching a restraining order on another ex-girlfriend and in 2002 for harassing another woman.

Her father Michael Brown spearheaded the campaign to allow people to obtain information about a partner's previous convictions.

In 2014, he said he was "quietly delighted" when Clare's Law came into force in England and Wales.

It was introduced in Scotland in 2016, Northern Ireland in 2018 and is now being trialled in Australia and Canada.

His sister Carol Whicher said he "never stopped fighting".

"He didn't want anyone else to suffer the same fate [Clare] did and always said if he could save just one person from a life of domestic abuse, then his campaigning had been worth it."

Mr Brown, who was originally from Aberdeen, received a British Citizen Award in January and was also patron of Endeavour, a domestic violence charity in Bolton.

In a statement, the charity said he had been "a powerhouse" whose legacy "saved hundreds and will save thousands more".

"After the best part of a decade, Clare's Law will finally become enshrined into law as part of the Domestic Abuse Bill currently going through Parliament," a spokeswoman said.

"There is no doubt Clare's Law saves lives."

Michelle Livesey-Feingold, who campaigned with Mr Brown, said he leaves behind "an incredible legacy which I am determined to continue in his honour".

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