It comes as 36 women and girls have been killed by men in Northern Ireland over the past six years
Over 90% of those convicted for domestic abuse offences in Northern Ireland over the past year are men, new figures show.
The official statistics from the Department of Justice detail the prosecutions at courts and case processing time for domestic abuse related cases dealt with in 2024-25.
The Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021 created a new domestic abuse offence which criminalises a course of abusive behaviour. In 2024-25, there were 2,501 prosecutions at court for cases involving at least one offence under the Act, representing an 8.3% decrease from the 2,728 prosecutions for cases dealt with in 2023-24.
READ MORE: ‘I waited years for answers after husband’s death abroad – new law will help others’READ MORE: ‘Extreme disappointment’ as PSNI rule out compensation for officers impacted by data breach
Over the past year, 56.3% (1,408) of cases resulted in conviction, compared to 55.5% (1,515) in 2023-24. The figures show that the vast majority of those convicted in cases with an offence under the Act were male, at 90.8% (1,278 out of 1,408 convictions).
People aged 30 to 39 made up the largest proportion of those convicted in cases with an offence under the Act – 36.8% (518 individuals). This was the same in 2023-24 when 37.9% (574) convictions were for people in that age group.
Across all courts, custodial sentences were the main outcome in 31.7% of convictions (446 cases) over the past year, compared to 30.6% (463 cases) in 2023-24. At the Crown Court level, custodial outcomes were even more common – 71.0% (66 cases out of 93) in 2024-25, and 72.0% (59) for cases dealt with in 2023-24.
The figures come amid a backdrop of violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland. Between January 1, 2019 and July 31, 2025, 36 women and girls across the region were tragically killed by men.
Many of those who have been murdered in recent years have known their killers, with many women being killed in their own homes. PSNI figures show domestic abuse is reported on average every 16 minutes, but the real figure is likely to be higher, as many cases remain unreported.
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
#Majority #convicted #domestic #abuse #Northern #Ireland #men #figures #show
