Maria Stubbings (nee Fernandez) was murdered by her ex-partner, Marc Chivers, in Essex in December 2008. Marc Chivers was known to the police because he had already murdered a previous partner and had served time for assaulting Maria. Maria’s daughter and brother, Celia and Manuel, have set up the Maria Fernandez Memorial to raise money for Refuge to help women, like Maria, to access vital support. ‘If Maria had known about Refuge and the support available to women who are experiencing domestic violence, she may still be with us today. We are devastated that the police did not do more to protect her; that they did not arrest her ex-partner when he was harassing her, and that they did not take her concerns seriously when she told them she was in fear for her life. We are raising money for Refuge to help other women and their children to stay safe; to urge the Government to take domestic violence seriously; and to make sure that this never happens again – to prevent any other family from experiencing the grief and despair that we have suffered. Please help us to make a difference. Thank you.
