Murder victims ‘link to domestic violence’

TWO-thirds of women murdered by their partners had previously suffered domestic violence, new research has shown.

In a review of sample cases of domestic homicides by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Women’s Aid, it was also found that separation was a risk factor for escalating violence and risk of fatality, with just under one-third of the 21 homicides studied being committed after separation.

The 21 cases analysed took place between March 2001 and April 2009, and the statistics follow figures published last year by Women’s Aid which showed that almost two-thirds of women who are murdered are killed in their own homes.