User:Sarahgouldrup/Ask for Angela

The Killing of Angela Crompton
39-year-old sculptor Thomas Crompton was convicted of manslaughter of his wife, 34-year-old Angela Crompton, after striking her on the head with a hammer. She died in a Cambridge hospital two days following the attack, leaving behind three children.

According to court records, on June 11, 2012, Thomas Crompton was on a break from working during the day when he found that his wife had begun redecorating the house, and moved some of his belongings around. This provoked an argument between the two, and he attempted to strangle her, after which he used an “industrial-sized hammer” to hit her on the head.

After committing the crime, he returned to his workplace and told his coworker, Bjorn Fiskvatn, "That is it. I have killed her.” In response, Fiskvatn said, “I was left very confused because I thought this was some kind of joke.” The two returned back into the house to find her on the dining room floor, after which Fiskvatn called an ambulance. “I tried to find any other explanation to why there was blood and hair on the hammer, but slowly I came to the realization that what he told me was the truth,” Fiskvatn said.

Thomas Crompton was found guilty of manslaughter December 14, 2012. The trial lasted nine days, and he was convicted of “manslaughter due to loss of control.” The sentence for the attack was only seven and a half years, sparking outrage from Angela Crompton’s family and other members of the community.

Her family released a statement, saying: "The fact the defendant will only serve half of today's sentence before being released is merely salt in the wound. His actions have left three deeply bereaved children to grow up without a mother and have put all our family through a dreadful ordeal of intensive care, funeral and court. During the court case it felt that Angela herself was on trial, and in many ways that has been the hardest part for us. We feel Angela and her family have been let down in this case by the justice system."

Global Implementation
When looking at the growth of the movement, Ask for Angela has expanded beyond both the US and the UK into other European countries as well as Canada, Argentina, New Zealand and Australia. In Australia specifically, the implementation of Ask for Angela has led to a broader campaign system that allows individuals to express feelings of vulnerability to others. This structured form of communication inside a bar environment allowed both victims and officials to better identify situations of domestic or date violence.

In Argentina, Ask for Angela was implemented more recently in February 2023, following their entry into the International Nightlife Association (INA), which has been providing guidelines on safety and sexual assault since 2017. The President of the Argentina Nightlife Federation (FEDRA) announced this new development, stating that they would be placing the protocol in various nightlife venues along with implementing safety and quality nightlife measures around Argentina.

With a larger global outreach by day, Ask for Angela has also grown its platform and worked to create a stronger digital presence. The movement now has a website called askforangela.co.uk that provides information about what the scheme is and how the public can support their cause. The team provides free downloadable resources such as posters, training workbooks, and design materials  that makes it easy for individuals to set up Ask for Angela in their town, city or venue. Furthermore, the website allows for exploration of training resources that range from in person sessions to online ones.

Criticisms
The “Ask for Angela” campaign has received significant criticism primarily due to its perceived focus on reactive, rather than proactive, measures. Critics of the campaign believe the efforts placed into “Ask for Angela” should be redirected to discouraging this unacceptable behavior initially. This statement was echoed by individuals, such as Geri Burnikell, a co-ordinator for SupportLine, who advocates for stronger sentences for those who commit crimes of a sexual nature.

While the method intends to prioritize the discretion of those seeking assistance, the growing popularity of “Ask for Angela” may render it a hazard, rather than a safety precaution. In certain settings, signaling discomfort can possibly alert predators to a potential target, thereby intensifying the danger to those in vulnerable situations. These complexities underscore the debate surrounding the efficacy and drawbacks of reactive safer measures.

Another flaw within the campaign would be the non-compulsory aspect. Reportedly, many bars and restaurants throughout London have omitted “Ask for Angela” in employee training. When asked regarding the initiative, one restaurant owner in London reported that a high staff turnover rate has created confusion and misunderstanding, and the expenses of the program were simply too high to justify keeping it.