'I punched my wife in the face'

A man who committed physical domestic abuse against his wife in 2007 said a support group helped him take responsibility for his actions and change his behaviour. He and his wife are still married.

Pete, whose surname we aren't using, supports a new scheme known as Drive, where men who pose a high risk of domestic violence will be given bespoke one-to-one support to change their behaviour.

"We started shouting and then we pushed each other and I threw my wife onto the sofa and then I got on top of her and then punched her in the face," he said.

Those who refuse to co-operate with the Drive scheme will be monitored closely by police; civil court orders and criminal sanctions will be considered to disrupt their offending behaviour.