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Dyer, Karen (2025) The golden thread of Woolmington – A domestic yarn that should never have been spun. feminists@law, 13 (2). pp. 1-15. ISSN 2046-9551
The case of Woolmington v The Director of Public Prosecutions [1935] 1 AC 462 is renowned for Viscount Sankey’s ‘golden thread’ ruling, that the prosecution bears the burden of proof at trial. However, what is frequently overlooked is that this judgment arises from domestic violence. In this commentary, the facts of Woolmington will be investigated, and charted using a domestic abuse risk assessment form (DARA) which is used by police to assess the potential risk to victims after an alleged domestic incident. It will be shown that there were numerous ‘red flags’ in Reginald Woolmington’s behaviour towards Violet, his wife, which indicated that she was at risk of serious physical violence from her husband. The commentary then reflects on the fact that such an important ruling is named after a domestic abuser.
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