Almost 2,900 domestic abuse-related cases dealt with at court
Date published:
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Crime and justice
New official statistics published today by NISRA statisticians in the Department of Justice present information on prosecutions and processing times for domestic abuse-related cases dealt with at courts during 2025/26.
Key findings
During 2025/26:
- There were 2,894 domestic abuse-related cases dealt with at courts, an increase of 15.7% from 2,501 in 2024/25.
- Of these cases, 59.8% resulted in a conviction, compared with 56.3% in 2024/25.
- Violence against the person was the main offence category in 1,112 cases involving an offence with the statutory domestic abuse aggravator.
- A custodial sentence was the main outcome in 34.8% of convictions across all courts.
- The average time taken to complete a case involving at least one offence under the Act was 157 days, compared with 209 days for all criminal cases.
About this publication
This bulletin presents information on domestic abuse-related criminal cases completed in Northern Ireland during 2025/26.
It includes information on:
- Prosecutions and convictions for cases involving offences under the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021.
- Out-of-court disposals for the domestic abuse offence created by the Act.
- The time taken to process these cases through the justice system.
Further information
Read the full report: Domestic abuse related cases dealt with
View data tables and background information: Domestic Abuse Related Cases Dealt With in 2025/26 | Department of Justice