Allan Titford carried out more than two decades of rape and violence before his wife gained strength from the "Violence: It's Not OK" campaign and exposed him.
An anti-family violence campaign that spurred a woman to leave her husband after more than two decades of rape and violence is seeing an increase in the number of people reporting domestic abuse, but a Whangarei women's refuge is pleased more abuse is coming to light.
Northland farmer Allan Titford
was last week jailed for a total of 24 years on 39 convictions - sexual offending against his former wife Susan Cochrane, violence against her and their children, fraud, threatening to kill, arson, perjury and firearms charges.
Ms Cochrane said during the sentencing that had it not been for the "Violence: It's Not OK" campaign by Women's Refuge, police, health boards and other social agencies, they would have continued to suffer the abuse. She later got in contact with Women's Refuge, who gave her the strength to take the case to the courts.
The team leader at Whangarei's Tryphina House Women's Refuge, Jodie Harris, said the national campaign, which includes "Family Violence: It's Not OK in Whangarei", was proving "very, very" effective in getting people to report domestic abuse.
"It's getting the general public to understand that it's not okay and it has led to a definite increase in people coming forward," Ms Harris said.
