Domestic Abuse

Proposed legislation creating standalone offences of stalking and non-fatal strangulation and allowing courts to issue orders restraining stalking behaviours will become law this autumn under government plans. Ministers have now given their approval for the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions

Progress on a cross-departmental strategy to stop domestic and sexual violence and abuse in Northern Ireland has been published. The ministers for justice, health, communities, education and finance have published an action plan setting out proposed activity for year seven of the seven-year domestic

Specialised judges could preside over criminal trials involving domestic, sexual and gender-based violence under a new five-year strategy launched by ministers. Led by justice minister Helen McEntee, the €363 million "zero tolerance" strategy was published yesterday, accompanied by an 18-month

Fears have been raised of a chilling effect on victims and survivors of domestic abuse coming forward following a high-profile court battle between Hollywood actor Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard. A jury in Fairfax County, Virginia yesterday awarded around $10.4 million in damages t

Stalking and non-fatal strangulation will become standalone offences under legislation announced by justice minister Helen McEntee today. Though both stalking and non-fatal strangulation are already crimes, the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill will make the law "clearer and stronger"

Comyn Kelleher Tobin solicitor Michelle Cronin and intern Saoirse Coughlan give an overview of coercive control and the convictions to date. The Domestic Violence Act 2018 introduced the offence of coercive control to Irish law. The legislation commenced on the 1st of January 2019. Offences that occ

The legal aid financial eligibility test has been waived in Northern Ireland for victims of domestic abuse who need to respond to an application by their abuser. Justice minister Naomi Long yesterday commenced section 28 of the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021, which

Emma Stratton, solicitor at Francis Hanna & Co Solicitors in Belfast, welcomes a recent judgment in England and Wales. The High Court in England and Wales has for the first time used the term ‘gaslighting’ in a judgment to describe coercive behaviours.

Northern Ireland's new stand-alone offence of domestic abuse has come into force. The new offence under the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021, which came into force yesterday, criminalises patterns of non-physical abusive behaviour as well as physical abuse.

New measures targeted directly at keeping women and girls safer have been added to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, the UK government has announced. Under the changes, victims of domestic abuse will be allowed more time to report incidents of common assault or battery against them. Cur

The Courts Service and the Legal Aid Board will continue to prioritise domestic abuse cases over the Christmas season, the government has said. Justice minister Helen McEntee yesterday relaunched the "Still Here" national awareness campaign on domestic abuse, which was first developed last April in

GPs in Northern Ireland are helping to identify and refer victims of domestic and sexual abuse to specialist support under a new pilot scheme. The "identification and referral to improve safety" (IRIS) programme is currently being piloted in 16 practices in East Belfast and the Newry and Mourne area

Reports of domestic abuse have doubled in the past five years, the Garda’s annual policing report shows. There were 7,600 charges brought last year over domestic abuse, an increase of 24 per cent on the 2019 figure.

A new public consultation is seeking views on how the criminal justice system should treat cases of non-fatal strangulation. Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI) recommended in June 2019 that the Department of Justice should review how potential inadequacies in current legislation re

Thousands of 999 calls about domestic violence were ignored by gardaí between 2019 and 2020, an ongoing internal investigation has found. Concerns have been raised by domestic abuse charities about the scale of the issue, which first came to light in late 2020.