Financial Abuse Survivor Invited to Advise Ministers Following Guardian Investigation
Francesca Onody, a survivor of severe financial and domestic abuse, has received a formal invitation from government ministers to provide expert advice on supporting victims of economic abuse. This development comes directly after The Guardian published a detailed report last weekend highlighting her harrowing ordeal and the systemic failures she encountered.
A Home Destroyed and Financial Ruin
Francesca Onody's life was shattered in 2022 when her abusive husband, Malcolm Baker, deliberately set fire to their family cottage while she and their two children were inside. Baker died in the resulting explosion, but the devastation continued long after the flames were extinguished. Onody discovered that during their marriage, Baker had systematically canceled all insurance policies and completely emptied their joint business bank accounts as she initiated divorce proceedings following years of sustained abuse.
Left homeless and penniless, Onody faced the additional trauma of potential repossession by their mortgage lender, as she was not named in Baker's will. The repossession order was only halted after The Guardian's intervention brought national attention to her case, exposing the severe vulnerabilities in financial and legal protections for abuse survivors.
Government Minister Takes Action
City Minister and Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby personally contacted Onody after reading about her experience in The Guardian. "I was moved to tears," Rigby stated. "Francesca's case is a truly shocking example of economic abuse and demonstrates just how devastating the impact can be on survivors and their families."
The minister has arranged to meet with Onody to hear firsthand about her experiences and discuss concrete measures that could prevent other survivors from facing similar destitution. The meeting will also include representatives from the charity Surviving Economic Abuse, ensuring expert input into policy discussions.
Systemic Failures and Urgent Reforms
Onody described being failed by multiple authorities and financial institutions when she sought help during Baker's abuse. "Abusers are manipulative and calculating, using the terms and conditions of financial institutions to their advantage," she explained. "If speaking up can help in any small way to stop someone else from going through what my children and I went through, then I'm happy to meet with anyone who can make a difference."
According to Surviving Economic Abuse, perpetrators frequently weaponize financial products and services to maintain control and continue causing harm long after relationships end. The charity's chief executive, Sam Smethers, emphasized: "Financial services professionals, from banks to insurers, must be better equipped to spot the signs of economic abuse and support vulnerable customers effectively."
Smethers continued: "We welcome the economic secretary's commitment to tackling economic abuse, but urgent legislative reform is now needed to close the gaps in our systems that abusers continue to exploit. The Financial Conduct Authority should urgently issue guidance to help firms support survivors under existing rules. This is the only way to help survivors like Francesca and their children safely rebuild their lives."
Government's Strategic Response
Minister Rigby highlighted the government's ongoing efforts: "The government's determination to tackle economic abuse is why we made this a cross-cutting theme in our recently published financial inclusion strategy. I'm absolutely determined that as a government we do everything we can to prevent victim-survivors like Francesca having to go through what she did."
The case has sparked broader conversations about:
- The need for better training for financial institution staff
- Legislative reforms to protect abuse survivors
- Improved coordination between support services and financial providers
- Enhanced legal protections during divorce proceedings
This development represents a significant step toward addressing economic abuse systematically, with survivor experiences directly informing policy decisions that could protect thousands of vulnerable individuals across the country.
