Domestic Abuse Related Cases Dealt With in 2024/25
Date published:
New official statistics published today by NISRA statisticians in the Department of Justice. This bulletin presents data on prosecutions, convictions and out of court disposals data, as well as case processing times for cases relating to the domestic abuse offence or any offence aggravated by reason of involving domestic abuse, as laid out in The Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021.
Key findings:
- The number of domestic abuse related cases under the Act dealt with at all courts was 2,501. Additionally, 7 out of court diversionary disposals for the domestic abuse offence were completed during the year.
- 56.3% (1,408) of prosecutions in all courts, for cases with offences under the Act, resulted in a conviction.
- Across all courts, Violence Against the Person (VAP) offences accounted for the majority - 61.9% (829 cases) - of all convictions involving cases that included an offence with the statutory domestic abuse aggravator.
- A custodial sentence was the outcome in 31.7% of convictions for cases with offences under the Act. The average time taken to complete cases with offences under the Act was 152 days.
- For all criminal cases dealt with at all courts, it was 189 days.
About the publication
Presents information on domestic abuse related criminal cases in Northern Ireland completed during the financial year 2024-25. It includes details on prosecutions and convictions for cases with offences under the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021, Out-of-court disposals completed during the same period and time taken to process these cases through the justice system.
Further Information
View the report and data tables: The Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021 - Prosecutions at court and case processing time for domestic abuse related cases dealt with in 2024-25