Statistics on violence against women are cold comfort to victims, but may help to inform

Ashling Murphy: Killed on the banks of the Grand Canal in Tullamore, Co Offaly.

It may seem cold, even inappropriate, to quote statistics amid a national outpouring of grief and anger at male violence against women.

The violent death of women, seen most recently in the killing of Ashling Murphy, rattles the country and often leads to fresh calls for things to change.