By Catarina Demony and Sam Tabahriti

LONDON (Reuters) -A month before she was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend, Bethany Fields walked into a police station in northern England to report his abusive and controlling behaviour. He had threatened to kill her, but she was not assessed as high risk.

Fields is among many domestic abuse victims failed by risk assessments based on a form known as DASH used by Britain’s overstretched police forces, social workers and others for more than 15 years, according to two academic studies, several women’s charities and victims’ relatives.

“To get that form right literally means the difference between life and death,” said Bethany’s mother, Pauline Jones.

The charity which co-developed the form, SafeLives, has now been tasked by the government with a

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