Category Archives: Violence against women

At least 100 UK women are suspected to have been killed by men in 2023

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Counting Dead Women, has recorded at least 100 UK women who were killed by men, or where the primary suspect for an alleged homicide, is a man, in 2023.  

Counting Dead Women monitors the media and collates reports of women suspected to have been killed by men. The project was developed by Karen Ingala Smith, following the murder of Kirsty Treloar in Hackney on 2nd January 2012.  The project is now run with the support of the Femicide Census which Ingala Smith and Clarrie O’Callaghan launched in 2015.

The number of women known or suspected to have been by men in 2023 will inevitably increase beyond 100, sadly even in the next few days. On average since the end of 2009, 140 women have been killed by men every year. That’s an average of two women dead at the hands of a man, every 5 days.

We only count women where men have been charged, or deemed responsible for the death of a woman by a statutory agency, for example in cases such as those where men have killed themselves after killing a woman or have been held under the Mental Health Act in relation to a killing.  The Femicide Census has found that on average in just under 12% of cases men who kill women also kill themselves. We always have a number of cases each year where the media have reported the death of a woman but the circumstances are not yet clear. There are regular reports of women being found dead that end up disappearing from the news, they might end up being non-suspicious deaths, overdoses, suicides (often following abuse), men may have been bailed pending investigation and so on. Usually more details become apparent in the course of the year, when criminal charges can be made and as cases proceed through the criminal justice system.

In addition, the Femicide Census sends Freedom of Information requests to the 42 UK police forces asking for information on women suspected to have been killed by men in the preceding year. This also reveals cases that have not featured in the media or which we might not have seen.

Each woman killed is a loss in and of itself in relation to the woman whose life has been taken. On average, in the UK 58 percent of women killed by men are killed by a current or former partner. Often in these cases, the killing of a woman follows months, years or even decades of violence, abuse and coercive control. In addition, analysis by the Femicide Census finds that around 8 percent of women killed by men, are women who were killed by their own son. Around 10 per cent are women who were killed by a stranger.

The killing of women, because they are women and reflecting unequal relationships between women and men as individuals but also collectively, is known as femicide. Femicide is a systemic issue. Whilst individual men must always be held responsible for the actions that they take, femicide is also a product of sex inequality and widely held cultural values. Regardless of her relationship with the man who killed her and the circumstances of her life, each of these women deserves to be remembered by name and as more than just another statistic. Almost every woman’s death leaves grieving family and friends. There should be no hierarchies in femicide.

Counting Dead Women and the Femicide Census are run by a small number of women: Rosie Allen, Dr Katie Elliot, Heather Harvey, Dr Karen Ingala Smith and Clarrie O’Callaghan. Whist we are happy for you to use our work in your own campaigns, research or other projects, we politely request that you reference the source of your data. The Femicide Census and Counting Dead Women are run entirely on donations and voluntary income. If you would like to donate to support our vital work, you can do so here.

Counting Dead Trans People

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No, Angela Crawley, in the UK, it’s not the same and it’s not a greater risk

In the Women and Equalities Select Committee on reform of the Gender Recognition Act on 21 April 2021, Angela Crawley, Scottish National Party MP for Lanark and Hamilton East and the SNP Shadow Attorney General asked

” Would you agree, and I think we can all agree on the prevalence of male violence, and the instance of how often this occurs and often it is a male perpetrator against a female individual, would you agree that individuals who perhaps, perhaps a trans female has transitioned*, they are also at equally and perhaps greater risk of the same violence and the same issues that you’ve expressed around patriarchy. Would it be possible for a women’s refuge to have a policy that is both inclusive provides that safety that provides those single sex spaces built also is able to provide a service that recognises that individuals who are transgender may also be the victims of the very same violence and they might also need protection from those very similar services that we’re discussing.”

(*It’s anyone’s guess who she means here? A trans female who has transitioned surely means female to ‘transman’, but I think she is so determined not to use words referring to maleness for ‘transwomen’ that she means a male who has so-called transitioned to ‘transwoman.’)

Firstly, let’s get this out of the way, you cannot be both single sex and trans inclusive, unless you mean women and ‘transmen’ together or men with ‘transwomen’. If you have transwomen in a women’s refuge it is not single sex. It cannot be.

Angela Crawley seemed to be trying to say that trans people are perhaps more at risk from the same men’s violence as women are.  This isn’t true with regards to fatal violence. Men’s fatal violence against males who identify as transgender does not follow the same pattern as men’s fatal violence against women.

As far as I know, nine males who fall under the trans umbrella have been killed in the UK since 2009. I don’t know which of them would have described themselves as cross-dressers, transsexuals, transwomen, trans women, or even say that they are women but using Stonewall’s concept of the trans umbrella, there are nine and I don’t want to open myself to accusations of undercounting. There have been over 1,800 women killed by men in the UK in the same time.  These 9 people are

  1. Andrea Waddel, 29, killed by a punter (sex buyer), Neil McMillan, in Brighton in October 2009
  2. Destiny Lauren, 29, killed by a punter (sex buyer) Leon Fyle, in London in November 2009
  3. David/Sonia Burgess, 63, killed by Senthooran (Nina) Kanagasingham, a trans friend/associate (male who identified as trans at the time), in London in October 2010
  4. Lionel/Suzie Morl, 49, referred to in the press as a transvestite, who was killed by a couple with drug problems and who appear to have been exploiting him:  David Hardman, 51, and Tracey Hurrell,  32, in Manchester in July or August 2011. Note the age difference between this couple, which is often (not always) an indicator of an abusive relationship
  5. Chrissie Azzopardi, 22, who was killed by a neighbour, Romy Maynard, possibly over drug debts, in London in April 2012
  6. Vanessa Santillan, 33, who was killed by husband Joaquin Hernandez in London in March 2015
  7. William Lound, 30, a gay man who occasionally wore clothes that have been described as women’s clothes, was killed by Lee Arnold. Arnold killed Lound after the two had had sex, in Salford in August 2016. The murder of William Lound has been described both as a homophobic murder and an anti-trans one
  8. Naomi Hersi, 36, who was killed by punter (sex buyer) Jesse McDonald after a drugs and sex hook-up in London in March 2018
  9. Amy Griffiths, 51, was killed by Martin Saberi, in Worcestershire on 11 January 2019. The two have been described as friends.

None of those above were killed in Scotland, where Angela Crawley is an MP. None. Since 2009, at least 129 women have been killed by men in Scotland. 17 women have been killed by men in Scotland since the last known murder of a trans person in the UK. Why can’t you see or why do you turn your back on the violence done to women by men, Angela?

We know from the Femicide Census that 62% of women who were killed by men between 2009 and 2018 were killed by a current or former partner.  In the year ending March 2020, the Office for National Statistics says that 46% of adult females and 7% of males were killed in domestic homicides. The ONS also said that 29% of female homicide victims recorded no suspect had been charged for the offence at the time of analysis. This will decrease as investigations proceed and the percentage of cases where a woman’s current or former partner is identified as being responsible for her death is likely to increase.  The proportion of males killed by current or former partners is consistent with previous years. 8% of male homicide victims were killed by a partner in the year ending March 2019, 1% in the year ending March 2018 and 3% in the year ending March 2017. Note also that males are much more likely to be killed by a same sex partner, fatal violence is very rare in lesbian relationships.

Given the number of trans people killed in the UK, annual trends in the composition of their relationships with their killer isn’t possible. There have been nine over eleven years and none since Amy Griffiths in 2019. Only one was killed by their partner.  Most women’s refuges work exclusively with women who are fleeing partners, ex-partners and in some cases, family members. That doesn’t mean other people don’t need places of safety or support but it does mean that their experiences are different and their needs are too. Women in refuges benefit from being able to place what was done to them in the context of the abuse that other women have been subjected to by men they loved. Sometimes it is through seeing that another woman was not to blame for what was done to her that they are able to begin to stop blaming themselves. Sharing with and listening to other women is a huge part of healing and moving on. Women don’t enter refuges for fun. For most there is no other choice and many are in fear of their life. The number of men who kill or attempt to kill their female partners shows that women’s fears are well grounded. I’ve written in other places about the importance of single-sex spaces for women who have been subjected to men’s violence, for example here, about the necessity of trauma informed services for women being single sex and here, more generally in a speech I delivered in Scottish Parliament in January 2020.

Looking beyond fatal violence and at childhood sexual abuse, prevalence is not equal or greater for males who identify as transgender than it is for females. We know that both girls and boys can be subjected to child sexual abuse and that grooming of younger gay males by older men is an established form of abuse normalised by some men. Prevalence studies for England and Wales suggests that approximately 15% of girls/young women and 5% boys/young men are subjected to some form of sexual abuse before they are 16 years old and that the majority of perpetrators – prevalence studies always indicate over 90% – are male.[1] For women and girls, single sex space to address what has been done to them is vital. For males, who are far more likely to have been abused by someone of the same sex, the preferred or most beneficial sex of their therapist, counsellor, support worker or fellow therapeutic group members can be less clear. Sometimes but not always depending on the sex of their abuser, they may or may not have a preference for or therapeutic issues with the sex of who supports them.[2] The needs of these men should be addressed but this necessary provision should not affect the needs of the majority of female victim-survivors and provision of single sex services to meet their needs; neither should the support and therapeutic needs of males survivors of childhood sexual violence and abuse who come to identify as transgender.

It should not be seen as, and it is not, an indication of disrespect to Andrea Waddel, Destiny Lauren, Sonia Burgess, Suzie Morl, Chrissie Azzopardi, Vanessa Santilan, William Lound, Naomi Hersi and Amy Griffiths to say that with regards to intimate partner homicide, the pattern of their relationships with the person who killed them is far closer to that of male-on-male fatal violence than that of men’s lethal violence against women. Of course what was done to them is abhorrent. But, the evidence suggests that the same services as those under short supply for women would not have saved the lives of most of these trans people.

By identifying the context of the sex industry, which inherently abusive; or substance use, I am not excusing what was done to these people any more than I would consider involvement in prostitution or drug use as an excuse for killing women, or any more than I would hold any woman responsible for abuse perpetrated against her. Prostitution turns people into products and abusive, predatory men who fully recognise the power imbalance in the transaction, into consumers. Prostitution puts people, mainly women, in situations where they are easy prey to murderous men. It is the twisted logic of sex trade advocates that creates a space for victim blaming and denies that prostitution is abuse.

Where fatal violence is concerned, the evidence is that the violence perpetrated against trans people, is not the same violence as that which is perpetrated against women. It’s not the same, it might be proportionate, there aren’t reliable statistics on the number of trans identifying people in the UK so we can’t calculate. Of course not all violence and abuse is fatal, but we can still learn a lot about violence from that which is. It is possible that rates of fatal violence against trans people by men are higher than those of males against women if we take population sizes into account, but this would make that violence more in line with men’s violence against other men, after all men kill more men every year than they kill women. This does not justify removing the single sex exemptions permissible under the Equality Act in the provision of services for women who have been subjected to men’s violence and more than any other form of men’s violence against other men.

Like most people, I do not want to see trans people suffering violence, harassment and discrimination. Universal human rights are an important principle. If we want to stop violence, including fatal violence against trans people, we would be better placed addressing the drivers of violence and abuse of people who do not conform to the gender stereotypes associated with their sex. As a feminist, I would say that we would be better placed dismantling sex-role or gendered stereotypes. Being abused and/or killed as or because you are a gender non-conforming man is not the same as being abused and/or killed as or because you are a women. We help no one if we don’t acknowledge who is doing what to whom and why, or by falsely claiming that that violence against trans people is the same as men’s violence against women.

Is it enough if a person in a position of responsibility apologises for an offensive joke?

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Steve Reddy Liverpool Domestic Abuse Strategic Lead and mother-in-law jokes about women’s suspicious deaths

Steve Reddy, Director of Liverpool City Council Children & Young People Services and Domestic Abuse Strategic Lead tweeted the following ‘joke’:

“Friday [clown face emoji]. Mrs R still angry with me because I didn’t open the car door to help her mother out. But as I’ve said – I just panicked and swam to the surface! Compounded this somewhat by the wreath I ordered in the shape of a lifebelt – but it’s what she would have wanted…” (9 April 2021)

Angela Clarke, on twitter Angela Madigan, Liverpool City Council Domestic Abuse and Domestic Homicide Review Commissioner doesn’t seem to think so, if her response: “Back with a vengeance“ is anything to go by. And to which Reddy ‘oh-so-humorously’ responded “Cheers mate, I did it again.”

Liverpool’s independent specialist domestic abuse service, (LDAS), didn’t share the amusement and asked the Chair of the domestic abuse strategy group why he was using Bernard Manning humour about women dying.

After trying to justify himself, Reddy replaced the subject of his joke with his father-in-law, before also deleting this second version, shortly after he said that he apologised unreservedly for any offence caused, it was absolutely not his intention.

Mother-in-law jokes are or were a misogynistic trope of the UK mainstream cultural fabric. They position younger men as normative and socially valuable, whilst positioning older women as the antithesis to this, disdainful and other, whilst reminding younger women of their destiny as disposable objects of ridicule with patriarchal best-before dates and signalling to younger heterosexual men that they should be wary of what their female partner may become. As LDAS pointed out, mother-in-law jokes belong in the dustbin of entertainment from the 1970s when sexist, racist humour was a lazy prop for sexist racist comedians like Manning.  But the stereotype endures.

The Femicide Census found that 13 women in the UK had been killed by the partner or ex-partner of their daughter between 2009 and 2018, (in other words, 13 men killed women who were or had been their mother-in-law or equivalent), just over one percent of all women killed by men in the UK. More extreme than mother-in-law jokes, certainly, but not unconnected. Societal norms and values can either create a conducive context for men’s violence against women or they can challenge and deconstruct. Mother-in-law jokes in particular and the normalisation of men’s violence against women and the perceived different social value of women and men (sex inequality) are the backdrop of these men’s murderous intent and actions.

Between 2009 and 2018, 43 women in Merseyside were killed by men. They include 28-year-old Jade Hales and her mum, Karen Hales, 53, making Karen one of the 13 women who were mother-in-laws noted above. In 2016, Anthony Showers, 42, broke into his ex-partner Jade’s home and killed and raped her and killed her mother, his ex-mother-in-law, Karen, who was disabled and needed a frame to walk, by bludgeoning both women to death with a hammer. This year, Merseyside MPs held an emergency meeting called by Labour MP Paula Barker, after three women, Helen Joy, Rose Marie Tinton and N’Taya Elliott Cleverley, were killed in one weekend in January. Surely, this alone should mean that Liverpool’s senior council officials recognised – for themselves – that women’s suspicious deaths were not an appropriate subject matter for humour. It is inconceivable that the person who commissions domestic homicide reviews in the city was unaware of this.

Merseyside police reported an increase in reports of domestic abuse of 10.4 per cent – equivalent to 18,782 victims – between April 1 and November 30 2020, compared to the same period the year before.Yvonne Roberts, writing for the Observer, reported that in the last year LDAS, Liverpool’s specialist independent service for women,  has seen a 145% increase in demand for counselling and group-based support and the highest number of self-referrals in its 15-year history. Yet this specialist independent service of experts has increasingly found themselves frozen out by Liverpool City Council and council funded services for women victims of domestic violence and abuse in the city are provided by a national provider that does not have a specific focus on women victims of men’s violence. YSadly this commissioning pattern, ignoring decades of research that show that women victim-survivors of men’s violence are best served and feel safer using  specialist independent local women-led services and moreover, ignoring that women are the vast majority of victims of domestic and sexual violence, has been seen across the UK for more than a decade.  If a woman in Liverpool looks for domestic abuse support on Liverpool City Council’s website, the first ‘service’ she will see is that for ‘Ask Ani’, a national scheme much vaunted by the government, whereby women can approach any one of 2,500 pharmacies and ask for Ani. In contrast to the experience of Liverpool’s specialist service and those of specialist independent women’s charities across the country, the Ask Ani scheme, with its 2,500 access points, has attracted less that one woman a week across the entire country since its launch in January. Women who are subjected to men’s violence reach out to those they trust. It doesn’t look to me like Ask Ani is it. When abused women don’t access services, it doesn’t mean that abuse isn’t happening, it’s much more likely to mean that  (if they know about the service) they don’t think it can or will help.  

Men’s fatal violence against women isn’t the only reason that Liverpool has made the national news this year. Girls at Broughton Hall Catholic High School, in West Derby, Liverpool, were advised to wear shorts under their skirts after male pupils were allegedly caught taking photos up their skirts as they used a transparent glass staircase. The school had previously taken swift action to address its concerns that females were wearing inappropriate pencil skirts by sending them home. Evidently the school expects females to take responsibility for the male gaze and sexual harassment.

Steve Reddy, Director of Liverpool City Council Children & Young People Services and Domestic Abuse Strategic Lead, also has form with his regard to his antipathy to recognising the critical importance of sex differences with regards to sexual and domestic violence and abuse. In 2018, Steve Reddy’s first act, as Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy Lead was to propose that the VAWG strategic group was renamed because  (to quote from his own email)  the “remit and scope did not sufficiently capture the breadth of issues involved in domestic abuse – particularly in terms of male victims.”

The United Nations recognises that (men’s) violence against women in public and private life impedes the ability of women and girls to claim, realize [SIC] and enjoy their human rights on an equal foot with men. Is it enough if someone in a position of responsibility apologises for an offensive joke? One of the things I’d want to know is whether ‘the joke’ chimes or contrasts with their track record. We can all say or do things that we regret and don’t really mean when we reflect on them later. But it’s not the only question. What if that person has a lead role with regards to the protection of the demographic that is the subject of said joke? What if violence – including fatal violence – against that demographic has reached unprecedented levels? What if that person’s track record is one of undermining the human rights abuses of and specialist provision for that subjugated demographic? Then, no, whether causing offence was the intention or not, I don’t think it is good enough.

On 13 April, Reddy announced that he was standing down as chair of Liverpool Domestic Abuse Strategy Group.

Trauma-Informed Services for Women Subjected to Men’s Violence Must be Single-Sex Services

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For many women and girls, the boundaries between domestic and sexual violence and abuse, are very much blurred. For some this abuse includes prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation too.

It’s not unusual for women who’ve been subjected to men’s violence to develop a trauma response. These sometimes develop after a single incident of violence, particularly with regards to sexual violence, though sometimes it can develop after years or months of living in fear, walking on egg-shells, recognising that tone of voice, that look in the eyes, that sigh, that pause, that silence, that change in his breathing. Some women have lived this, with a succession of perpetrators starting from their dad – who may have been physically, sexually or emotionally violent, abusive and controlling or a mixture of them all – all their lives.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop in response to trauma that may have occurred recently or in the distant past. Those who have experienced sexual trauma, especially whilst young are at greater risk, with victims of multiple forms of childhood abuse and neglect most at risk of lifetime trauma[i] Women victim-survivors of child sexual abuse are at least twice as likely to experience adult sexual victimisation[ii]. 51% of adults who were abused as children experienced domestic abuse in later life and approximately one in six adults who were abused as a child had been subjected to domestic violence and abuse in the previous year[iii].

Studies of women involved in prostitution found that between 63-80% reported being subjected violence in the course of being prostituted[iv]. One study found that women in prostitution were murdered at a rate 12 times above that of non-prostituted women[v]. Many women in prostitution describe sexual encounters as non-consensual, coerced or economically coerced rape. Two-Thirds of women in prostitution suffer PTSD.[vi]

After trauma, the brain can be triggered by something that would barely register for someone else, interpreting something that for many people would be unthreatening as a serious threat or danger, for example the presence of a man, particularly where not expected.

PTSD/trauma responses happen in a part of the brain called the amygdala. The amygdala detects a threat or perceived threat and can activate a “fight or flight” response.  This releases adrenaline, norepinephrine, and glucose into the body, and if the threat continues, cortisol. A part of the prefrontal cortex (an area in the front of the brain that processes emotions and behavioural reactions) assesses the threat and can either calm or reinforce the fight or flight response. People suffering trauma/PTSD have a hyper reactive amygdala and a less effective calming prefrontal cortex reaction. The brain becomes overwhelmed by the trauma (pre-frontal cortex shutdown) leading to disorientation and confusion as the higher brain functions of reasoning and language are disrupted.  Thinking and reasoning can be drowned out by feeling and being. Prolonged stress can lead to permanent change in the prefrontal cortex.

A trauma-informed safe space creates space for action and recovery from violence and abuse and places the woman victim-survivor in control and in the centre. The trauma response described earlier is the antithesis of a space for action and recovery, so a trauma informed approach is based on understanding the physical, social, and emotional impact of trauma caused by experiencing violence and abuse. A trauma-informed service for women understands the importance of creating an environment – physical and relational – that feels safe to victims-survivors in all the ways I’ve just mentioned. For many women this means excluding men from their recovery space, and yes, this includes those who don’t identify as men.  Their behaviour, the likelihood that they themselves may be abusive, is not relevant. If it is not women-only, it is not trauma informed for women who have been subjected to men’s violence.

We know that at least 80% of males who hold a gender recognition certificate retain their penis, but anyway, in almost every case, we don’t need to know what’s in their pants to know they are a man. Women experiencing trauma after violence and abuse will, like most of us – almost always instantly read someone who might be the most kind and gentle trans identified male in the world – as male; and they may experience a debilitating trauma response as a result. It’s not their fault, it’s not a choice and it’s not something they can be educated out of. It’s not hate. It’s not bigotry. It’s not transphobia. It is an impact of abuse and they need space, support and sometimes therapy – not increased confrontation with a trauma inducing trigger; not nowhere to go that offers a woman-only space.

To properly heal from trauma, in particular that caused by sexual violence, a course of counselling/therapy from a counsellor/therapist specially trained to deal with trauma/PTSD from sexual or domestic violence and abuse is often needed. Unfortunately, far too few women are offered this opportunity. Specialist women-led women-only organisations supporting victim-survivors of men’s violence are rarely funded to the extent that we can meet the levels of need that exist. All too often we’re contracted to do what commissioners value, this isn’t always what women want and need.

Women should not need to justify our desire for or the benefits of women-only space on the basis of violence perpetrated upon us or our sisters but we should recognise that some women need or benefit from it more than others. Not all women who are subjected to men’s violence and abuse will develop a trauma response. Not all women will be subjected to men’s violence and abuse, though globally one in three are at some point during our lifetime. Not all women who have been abused by men want women-only spaces but should they then take away the right of that space from those who do?

Of course, women who experience trauma/PTSD as a result of men’s violence are required to function in a world where men are present and for the most part, do. But women-only spaces in Rape Crisis Centres, refuges, women’s centres or women-only buildings or events, etc are spaces where women are not required to make all the mental self-adjustments to function in the presence of men. Women survivors and feminists (many of us both) created these spaces because we know how important this is. Somewhere we can function and feel OK, safe, maybe even relaxed and with our defences down and our vigilance switch turned low. Women who have been subjected to men’s violence deserve this down time, this head space.  Women-only space for women who have been subjected to men’s violence and abuse is something that must be protected by those of us who don’t need it, for those of us who do.

 

[i] Widom et al. 2008.
[ii] Classen, Palesh, & Aggarwal, 2005
[iii] ONS Impact of child abuse on later life, Crime Survey for England and Wales, year ending March 2016
[iv] Kinnell, 1993; Barnard et al., 2002, Campbell & Stoops, 2010
[v]Ward, Day & Weber, 1999
[vi] Farley, 1998.

We need to stop the hierarchy of dead women

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2 British women and a third who had lived in London for 20 years went missing abroad within 6 days. All  three were found dead within 6 days.

130 Karen Cleary-BrownThis is Karen Cleary-Brown. She was 44 years old and had lived in Islington, N, London for 20 years. She had been missing in Jamaica since 25 November.  She was found dead on 3rd December.  A man who was working on her property has been charged with her murder.

 

130 barbara FindleyThis is Barbara Findley. She was 58 and from Kennington, S. London but had lived in Jamaica for the last 5 years. She was reported missing on 29 November. She was found dead on 5 December.

 

 

130 Grace Millane

This is Grace Millane. She was 22 and from Essex.  She went missing on 1st December whilst travelling in New Zealand. She was found dead on 9 December.  A 26-year-old male, who has been granted name suppression whilst awaiting trial, has appeared in court  in relation to her death.

 

 

How many of those names did you know? How many of their photos had you seen?

The killing of Grace Millane is an atrocity, but no more so than the killings of Karen Clearly-Brown and Barbara Findley, no more so than the (at least) 127 other UK women suspected to have been killed by men (or where a man or men are the principal suspects) so far this year.

Karen Cleary-Brown, Barbara Findley and Grace Millane – 3 missing women, 3 women found dead.

The killings of women who are not young, not white, not killed on holiday, not killed by a stranger should  be no less shocking or upsetting. They are not less worthy of media or public attention or mourning. We need to stop the hierarchy of dead women.

2018

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127 women

2018

176 women killed by men, or where a man or men have been linked to the suspicious death of a woman.

  1. 3 January 2018: Elisabeta Lacatusu, 44, was killed by 19 knife injuries to her chest and neck inflicted by her former partner, Genu Armeanu, 45, whom she had left the previous month. Armeanu, of East London, was convicted of murder and sentenced to a minimum of 28 years.
  2. 5 January 2018: Tamara Sinakova, 61, was strangled to death by her partner, Rojs Avaliani, 37, at their home in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. Avaliani was found guilty of murder. He was sentenced to life and ordered to serve a minimum of 16.5 years imprisonment.
  3. 5 January 2018: Terrie-Anne Jones, 33, was stabbed 26 times by her partner John Lewis, 56, at her home in Neath Port Talbot, South Wales. Her injuries included an 8cm deep stab wound to her heart, 13 to her neck, three to her collarbone, and two to her chest, with defence wounds to both hands. Lewis was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 19 years for her murder.
  4. 8 January 2018: Claire Tavener, 27, was stabbed 10 times with a lock-knife – including two to the neck and two to the chest by her husband Andrew Tavener, 45. A Domestic Homicide Review found that Andrew Tavener had a history of violence and abuse against Claire, and other women. Tavener was sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to serve at least 16 years and eight months.
  5. 9 January 2018: Julie Clark, 59, was found dead at her home in Hereford. She had died of stab wounds, inflicted by her son, Jason Nellist, 41. Nellist was given an indefinite hospital order after being found unfit to plea because of mental illness.
  6. 10 January 2018: Geraldine Mellor, also known is Geri, 32, was strangled to death by her boyfriend of six months, Darrell Rose, 36, after she tried to separate from him. Darrell Rose strangled Geri in her own home, in Devon. His claims of self-defence were dismissed by the judge as ‘unbelievable’. Rose was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison for murder.
  7. 12 January 2018: Amelia Blake, 22, was killed whist travelling in Australia by her boyfriend, Brazil Gurung, 33, who also killed himself. Amelia was strangled and suffered blunt force trauma to her face and head. An inquest into her death ruled that the manner of death was ‘homicide during an episode of interpersonal violence’.
  8. 13 January 2018: Cassie Hayes, 28, was killed by Andrew Burke, 30, the ex-partner of her girlfriend. Cassie Hayes was attacked by Burke at her workplace; a travel agency in Southport town centre. As Cassie was assisting a family, Burke slit her throat. He was sentenced to 26 years for murder and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
  9. 15 January 2017: Natalie Hastings, 41, was run down in Queensway, Hemel Hempstead by Simon Whittle, 49. Reportedly they had been friends for 20 years and more recently, Whittle had started lodging with Natalie. Witnesses heard him shouting ‘you’re dead’ just before he run her over. Whittle is serving a minimum of 20 years in prison for her murder.
  10. 24 January 2017: Claire Harris, 44, was killed by her ex- partner Rickardo Wilson, 50, whom she had allowed to stay in the flat she rented whilst he looked for a new home. She had suffered 86 injuries – half of them to her head and face. Wilson was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years. Wilson had been violent and abusive towards Claire throughout their relationship.
  11. 26 January 2018: Cheryl Gabriel-Hooper, 51, was shot dead by her husband, Andrew Hooper, 45, as she sat in her car outside her home in Newport, Shropshire. She had recently separated from Hooper. At sentencing, the judge described the shooting, which took place in front of Cheryl’s 14-year-old daughter, as a ‘planned execution’. Andrew Hooper was sentenced to 31 years in prison for murder.
  12. 29 January 2018: Janet Scott, 51, was stabbed by her ex-boyfriend Simon Mellors, 56. She survived the attack but he ran her over and killed her as she tried to flee. Mellors had killed a former partner, Pearl Black in 1999, and killed Janet whilst on licence. Before the killing, Mellors had made threats to kill Janet, and her husband, Chris Scott. He committed suicide whilst on remand for Janet’s murder.
  13. 29 January 2018: Agnieszka Swierczynska-Jaros, 37, died of multiple organ failure in a house fire in Trowbridge that had been started deliberately. Three men were arrested on suspicion of arson with the intent to cause harm but were released due to lack of evidence. In her inquest the coroner said that he believed witnesses had been untruthful and was convinced that the fire was a deliberate act because there were two start points and traces of fuel throughout the house.
  14. 29 January 2018: Paula Harris, 44, was strangled to death by her partner Michael Foster, 39 at their home, in Mansfield, Nottingham. A review into the killing found that Foster had been violent and abusive towards women, and that he had strangled another woman with whom he had had an intimate relationship. He was sentenced to at least 16 years in prison for Paula’s murder.
  15. 29 January 2018: Kate Jaworski Green, 33, suffered significant injuries when Jordan Howlett, 24, deliberately drove his car headlong collision along a country road in Wakefield on 27th January 2018. Howlett claimed he was trying to kill himself. Charged with murder, the court later accepted a plea of guilty to manslaughter. He was sentenced to 10 and a half years, half of which must be served in custody.
  16. 6 February 2018: Ruksana Begum, 47, was stabbed by her son-in-law, Muhammed Tafham, 30 at her home in Rochdale. Ruksana had been assisting her daughter, who had been subjected to a long history of domestic violence by Tafham, to end their arranged marriage. At trial, Tafham claimed that Ruksana had stabbed herself. She had suffered three major stab wounds to the front of her body and one of them passed right through her heart. The jury rejected Tafham’s claims and found him guilty of murder.
  17. 10 February 2018: Samantha Archer, 43, was injected with heroin by her boyfriend Andrew Williams, at her home in Hartlepool. He has been found guilty of manslaughter. Williams claims that she consented but also told officers he had pushed Ms Archer onto a settee “to calm her down” and that he had given her more than usual.
  18. 13 February 2018: Saeeda Hussain, 54, was killed by her husband, Muhammed Javed, 58, at their home in Ilford, East London. After subjecting Saeeda to years of coercive and abusive behaviour, Javid attacked Saeeda with a machete and a hammer. He was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years for murder.
  19. 13 February 2018: Danielle Richardson, 24, was stabbed 15 times in her face, neck and back by her boyfriend Michael Marler, 37. Danielle’s body was found in a flat, in Manchester, after Marler jumped out of the window. He is serving 21 years for murder.
  20. 16 February 2018: Sarbjit Kaur, 38, was found dead at home in Wolverhampton after what was set up to look like a botched robbery. She had been asphyxiated. Her husband Gurpreet Singh, 42, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 19 years.
  21. 17 February 2018: Jill Sadler, 58, was smothered as she slept by her husband David Sadler, 61. He inflicted 50 injuries to her face, neck and abdomen during the attack. David Sadler, of Liverpool, was sentenced to seven years for manslaughter.
  22. 18 February 2018: Heather Jordan, 34, was strangled by Martin Corns, 52. Corns was a colleague who had been harassing and stalking Heather for some time. She had told him that she did not want a relationship with him. Corns killed Heather when she was walking to her place of work in Priorswood, Taunton.
  23. 21 February 2018: Lynn McNally, 46, died of multiple stab wounds inflicted by her partner Paul Beddoes, 44, at their home in Telford. She had been stabbed 17 times with two knives. Beddoes is serving 14 years and 190 days for murder.
  24. 22 February 2018: Charlotte Teeling, 33, was last seen alive and was reported missing four days later. She was found dead on 2 March in a flat in Birmingham. She had been strangled by Richard Bailey, 40, who had 171 prior convictions, including a string of violent offences against women.
  25. 25 February 2018: Mary Ragoobeer, 46, her two sons and two other women were killed in an explosion in a shop below the Ragoobeer’s flat in Leicester. Arkan Ali, 37, Hawkar Hassan, 32, and Aram Kurd, 33, have been found guilty of murdering five people.
  26. 25 February 2018: Leah Reek, 18, and four others were killed in an explosion which destroyed a shop and the flat above it. Arkan Ali, 37, Hawkar Hassan, 32, and Aram Kurd, 33, have been found guilty of murdering five people.
  27. 25 February 2018: Viktoria Ljevleva, 22, and four others were killed in an explosion which destroyed a shop and the flat above it. Arkan Ali, 37, Hawkar Hassan, 32, and Aram Kurd, 33, have been found guilty of murdering five people.
  28. 27 February 2018: Denise also know as Crystal Gossett, 45, and her daughter Diane, 19 (below), son Edward, 16 and Diane’s young granddaughter, were killed in house fire in Co Fermanagh. Daniel Allen, 27, has been charged with four counts of murder and one count of arson with intent to cause danger to life. As of December 2021, Allen is still awaiting trial.
  29. 27 February 2018: Sabrina also known as Elektra Gossett, 19, her daughter, mother (above) and brother, were killed in a house fire. Daniel Allen, 27, has been charged with four counts of murder and one count of arson with intent to cause danger to life. As of December 2021, Allen is still awaiting trial.
  30. 27 February 2018: Laura Huteson, 21, was stabbed in the throat by Jason Gaskell, 23, at his home in Hull. Previous partners of Gaskell said that he had a history of violent sadomasochist sex. He was sentenced to six years for manslaughter by gross negligence.
  31. 28 February 2018: Anne James, 74, was stabbed more than 30 times in her head and back by her grandson, Gregory Irvin, 26, who also slit her throat in the attack. Anne was attacked in her home in Bilston, West Midlands. Irvin, who had a history of violence and abuse against women, is serving 24 years for murder.
  32. February 2018: Julie Reilly, 47, was last seen alive on 6 February 2018. Her disappearance became a murder investigation as parts of her body were found close to her Glasgow home, in April. Andrew Wallace, 41, who had stabbed Caroline Parker, 51, to death in 1992, was found guilty of Julie’s murder. He is yet to reveal the location of Julie Reilly’s remains.
  33. 5 March 2018: Laura Cecilia Navarette De Figueria, 47, was found stabbed to death at her home in Twickenham shortly after the bodies of her husband Adelino Figueira de Farida, 57, and their two sons aged 7 and 10, were found at the bottom of cliffs. An inquest found that Adelino Figueira de Farida had unlawfully killed Laura, their sons and then himself.
  34. 5 March 2018: Angela Rider, 51, was strangled to death by her ex-husband, Adrian Rodi, 49, at her home in Cawood, North Yorkshire. A review into the killing revealed that Rodi had subjected Angela to violence and abuse throughout their relationship and that he had strangled her on multiple occasions.
  35. 6 March 2018: Fiona Scourfield, 54, was killed by her 17-year-old stepson Reuben Braithwaite at their home in Wales. Braithwaite battered her over the head with an axe and slit her throat with a Samuri sword before attempting to upload photos of her deceased body to the internet. The court heard that Braithwaite had considered attacking his father but thought that he would be “too powerful” and would fight back.
  36. 15 March 2018: Hope Barden, 20, died of asphyxiation during a sex-act on the internet paid for by Jerome Danger, 45. Danger was a regular online sex forum user preoccupied with strangulation, stabbing, torture and death. He was due to be questioned in relation to Hope’s death whilst serving a 14-month prison sentence for possession of pornography consisting of “the worst images it is possible to image” when he was found dead.
  37. 17 March 2018: Jennifer Rogers, 56, was stabbed to death by her terminally ill husband, Peter Rogers, 61, at a holiday let in Cornwall. It was claimed that the couple had agreed to end their lives. Peter Rogers was sentenced to two and half years in prison.
  38. 16 March 2018: Michelle Savage, 32, and her mum Heather Whitbread, 53, were shot dead by Michelle’s ex-husband Paul Savage,35, at their home in East Sussex. Paul Savage was violent, controlling and abusive towards Michelle throughout their nine-year relationship. Michelle had told friends that she believed he wanted to kill her.
  39. 16 March 2018: Heather Whitbread, 53, and her daughter Michelle Savage, 32, were shot dead by Michelle’s ex-husband Paul Savage, 35. Savage is serving 38 years for double murder.
  40. 21 March 2018: Diane Jones, 62, was hit at least eight times with a claw hammer by her son Wayne Beer, 42, at their home in Castleford, West Yorkshire. Her skull was fractured in several places.
  41. 30 March 2018: Jenny Cronin, 72, was doused in petrol and set alight by her ex-son-in-law Kieren Lynch, at her home in Essex. Lynch killed himself in the attack. Jenny’s daughter had made a number of calls to police regarding Lynch’s harassment, stalking and threats to kill. An inquest found that Jenny was unlawfully killed by Cronin.
  42. 30 March 2018: Leyla Mtumwa, 36, was strangled then stabbed at least 49 times in her head, neck, body and arms by her husband Kema Salum, 38, in front of her 12-year-old son at their north London home. Salum had been extremely violent to a previous partner. Sentencing Salum to 23 years for murder, the judge described him as an ‘arrogant, controlling bully’.
  43. 31 March 2018: Ourania Lambrou, 80, died after being pushed to the ground by Harry Goodwin-Sim, 29, at a bus stop in Camden, north London. She hit her head and died of a brain haemorrhage, which was caused by the assault. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
  44. 2 April 2018: Tanesha Melbourne, 17, died in her mother’s arms after having been shot in a drive-by shooting. No one has been charged in connection with her death.
  45. 6 April 2018: Tracy Stonehouse, 51, was battered repeatedly around the head, strangled and then stabbed six times by her husband Arthur Stonehouse, 73, at his home in Solihull. According to reports, he has been telling people he “would kill her”.
  46. 7 April 2018: Lesley Potter, 66, was beaten and strangled by her husband Derek Potter, 63, in their home in South Wales. He attempted to make her death look like suicide by hanging but later confessed to a colleague that he had killed her.
  47. 10 April 2018: Alexis Flynn, 42, died after having been stabbed to death, by her ex-partner, David Payne, 51, at her home in Ayrshire. He was also charged with punching her on the face and body, putting his hands round her neck and compressing in February this year. At the time of her death, Payne was banned by a court from approaching her.
  48. 12 April 2018: Viktorija Sokolova, 14, was raped and killed through blunt force trauma to her head in a park in Wolverhampton by Ayman Aziz, 16. She was found dead on a park bench a day after being reported missing. Aziz was convicted of rape and murder.
  49. 12 April 2018: Margaret Howlett, 63, was stabbed to death by her husband, David Pawluk, 59, at their home in Rochdale. Pawluk stabbed her repeatedly in the face and neck. Margaret confided in friends that Pawluk was controlling and had a gambling problem.
  50. 13 April 2018: Maryna Zhytnyk-Kavaliauske, 35, was strangled to death with a ligature at her home in Worthing. An inquest found that Alex Chernoff, 43, was ‘obsessed’ with Maryna and was increasingly abusive towards her. The coroner ruled that Chernoff had unlawfully killed Maryna and that he killed himself at the scene.
  51. 14 April 2018: Angela Craddock, 40, was beaten to death in her home in Warrington, by her ex-partner, William Smart, 54, who had just been released from prison for a previous assault he inflicted in her. She had over 100 injuries and was so badly injured she had to be identified by her fingerprints
  52. 15 April 2018: Natasha Hill, 18, died of a head injury. Her partner, Scott Clifford, 33, inflicted more than 100 injuries at her home in Chesire after kicking, punching, biting and stamping on her. He also attacked her with a guitar and stabbed her with a broken drum stick. Clifford was found guilty of her murder and a further two counts of actual bodily harm and one of common assault relating to incidents prior. He will serve 17 years and 165 days in prison.
  53. 15 April 2018: Samantha Clarke, 38, was stabbed to death her nephew Jordan Clarke, 21, at the family home in Brixton, London. Jordan Clarke was found guilty of manslaughter by diminished responsibility. He was detained in a secure hospital.
  54. 18 April 2018: Jennifer Morgan, 33, was stabbed to death. Her body was found in the garden of her home in Kirkintilloch, Her partner, Hugh Baird, 39, was charged with her murder and was due to stand trial a week before he was found dead in his cell with an apology to Jennifer’s family written on the wall. An inquiry ruled he had killed himself.
  55. 19 April 2018: Cecilia Seddon’s body was found concealed in a mattress in a property in Penzance, she had last been seen on 13 April. Clayton Hawkes, 52, with whom she was in a casual relationship, and Blaze Fisher, 25, were charged with perverting the course of justice. Hawkes was also charged with injecting her with a noxious substance (heroin and cocaine).  Her body was so badly decomposed when it was found that it was impossible to identify the cause of her death. She was 32.
  56. 20 April 2018: Julie Hunt, 47, was beaten to death by Florin Ion, 31, on her way to work at Lakeside Shopping Centre, in Essex. Witnesses said that Ion kicked Julie Hunt to death ‘like he was taking a free kick’ and was repeatedly shouting words like ‘hate’ and ‘why did you leave me’. There was no relationship between Julie Hunt and Florin Ion. He was sentenced to life for murder.
  57. 21 April 2018: Betty Lyons, 85, was strangled by her husband George Lyons, 88, at their home in Rochester. He then killed himself. Betty’s death was recorded as unlawful killing.
  58. 22 April 2018: Hollie Kerrell, 28, was reported missing and later found dead, buried in a shallow grave. Her husband of 5 years from who she had recently separated, Christopher Kerrell, 35, used a hammer to batter the right side of her head before strangling her at her home in Dyfed, Wales.
  59. 26 April 2018: Elizabeth Lacey, 63, was stabbed to death. Her son, Christopher Lacey, 21, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility, has been detained under the Mental Health Act in relation to her death. Edwina Holden, a carer for Elizabeth’s 94-year-old mother was also stabbed 12 times and survived the attack.
  60. 26 April 2018: Joleen Corr was beaten and thrown down the stairs at her home in Northern Ireland, by her boyfriend Michael O’Connor, 23, in December 2016. She was left brain damaged and in severe pain, requiring 24-hour care. She died, aged 27, after a landmark court ruling that she should no longer be kept alive. O’Connor is serving a life sentence for murder.
  61. 27 April 2018: Fiona Fisher, 51, was stabbed by her son Thomas Fisher, 22, at her home in East Sussex. Thomas Fisher admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility.
  62. 28 April 2018: Faye Caliman, 30, was stabbed 12 times by her husband Marian Caliman, 32, in her face, neck, stomach, heart and back at her home in Nottinghamshire. He filmed himself slapping and shouting abuse at her before he killed her.
  63. 30 April 2018: Nicola Roberts, 44, was bludgeoned unconscious by her ex-husband Neil Barass, 45, before he stabbed her to death and then killed himself at his home in Leicestershire. An inquest found that Nicola was unlawfully killed by Barrass.
  64. 2018: Mihrican Mustafa, 38, was found dead in East London on 26 April 2019, she had been reported missing by her family in May 2018. Her body was found alongside the body of Henriett Szus, believed to have been killed in 2016, in a freezer in Canning Town, East London. Mihrican had been beaten and strangled. Zahid Younis, 35, is serving 38 years for double murder.
  65. 13 May 2018: Onees Khatoon, 71, was strangled by her son, Majid Butt, 51, in her home in West London. Butt received a life sentence for murder.
  66. 13 May 2020: Sarah Clayton, 21, was found dead in a tent on a campsite in East Sussex. She had been strangled to death. Her fiancé Christopher Cole, 30, whom she had been seeing since February and who had a history of violence and abuse against women, was found guilty of murder.
  67. 14 May 2018: Jessica Patel, 34, was injected with insulin and strangled with a carrier bag by her husband, Mitesh Patel, 37, at their home in Middlesbrough. A review into the killing found that Mitesh Patel was controlling and abusive to Jessica throughout their marriage. He had planned to claim a two million pounds life insurance pay-out after the murder.
  68. 15 May 2018: Rosina Coleman, 85, was killed in her own home in Romford, Essex by blunt force trauma to her head and neck inflicted with a hammer by ‘handyman’ Paul Prause, 65, whom she had paid previously to complete odd jobs. Prause had racked up significant debt through gambling and stole jewellery worth £7000 from Rosina. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
  69. 18 May 2018: Bernadette Green, 88, was found dead. Her death was not initially thought to be suspicious, but after post mortem tests, her son John Green, 65, was charged and later convicted of her murder. John Green smothered Bernadette to death at their home in Lancashire. Her body also indicated signs of ‘severe neglect’.
  70. 20 May 2018: Sophie Cavanagh, 31, was found dead. Her estranged husband, Martin Cavanagh, 35, strangled Sophie at his flat in Bromley, south-east London. At trial, he was described as a ‘jealous and controlling man’. He was sentences to a minimum term of 16 years for Sophie’s murder.
  71. 20 May 2018: Angela Conoby, 54, stabbed to death by her partner of more than 30 years, Peter Stagis, 60, at their home in Leeds. He was sentenced to 14 years for murder.
  72. 25 May 2018: Christina Abbotts, 29, was found bludgeoned to death in her bed after failing to turn up at celebrations planned for her birthday. Zahid Naseem, 47, has been found guilty of her murder.
  73. 28 May 2018: Laura Mortimer, 31, and her 11-year-old daughter Ella Dalby, were stabbed to death by Christopher Boon, an ex-partner of Laura, at their home in Gloucestershire. Police said Boon had a history of violence and in 2010 he was handed a suspended sentence for attacking a former partner and her mother. He was sentenced to 29 years for double murder.
  74. 29 May 2018: Denise Rosser, 38, was found dead at home where she had been beaten to death, suffering catastrophic injuries. She had recently told friends that she was frightened to go home. Her partner, Simon Winston, 49, was convicted of her murder. Denise was repeatedly assessed as at ‘high risk’ of violence and abuse from Winston in the years preceding her death.
  75. 29 May 2018: Joanne Bishop, 39, died in hospital four days after her partner Shane Clarke, 52, stabbed her 29 times with a screwdriver, at their home in Milton Keynes. Clarke was jailed for a minimum term of 20 years for her murder.
  76. 31 May 2018: Jill Hibberd, 71, was stabbed 70 times at her home in Barnsley, during a burglary. Lee Fueleop, 40, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years.
  77. In May 2018, Mary Gregory, 94, died in hospital due to smoke inhalation after a fire at her home in Lancashire. In November 2021, her son’s stepson, Tiernan Danton, 21, was found guilty of her murder. He disabled the fire alarm, impeded her exit and started the fire.
  78. 1 June 2018: Andra Hilitanu, 28, suffered 80 sharp and blunt injuries, including a fatal neck wound, at her home in Neasden, north-west London. Her unborn child also died in the attack. Her boyfriend, Ioan Campeanu, 43, was convicted of murder and child destruction.
  79. 6 June 2018: Zofija Kaczan, 100, died in hospital after having her neck and cheek broken in a robbery at her home in Derby. Arthur Waszkiewicz, 39, was convicted of manslaughter and robbery.
  80. 8 June 2018: Tina Cantello, 49, was reported missing after she failed to turn up for work. She was found dead the next day with multiple stab wounds. Geoffrey Hutton, 38, had killed Tina, who was working as a debt collector, when she arrived at his home in Basildon, Essex, to collect a payment. Hutton was convicted of her murder.
  81. 9 June 2018: Marie Gibson, 35, was found dead at her home in Louth, Lincolnshire. Her boyfriend of two months, Shane Murphy, 27, beat her to death with a baseball bat and stabbed her in the throat with broken glass. He was sentenced to 20 years for her murder.
  82. 12 June 2018: Tracy Patsalides, 40, was found dead with head and neck injuries in a seafront shelter in Eastbourne. Wayne Marshall, 38, was convicted of her murder and sentenced to 14 years.
  83. 23 June 2018: Gita Suri, 56, was stabbed to death by another resident, Gary Davis, 50, at the supported housing they shared in Greenwich, London. Davis was found guilty of murder.
  84. 30 June 2018: Klarissa-Charlene Faith, 26, was found dead by police who had been called to her home in Harworth, Nottinghamshire. She had been strangled to death. Her partner, Stuart Hall, 47, was convicted of her murder.
  85. July 2018: Anne Reid, 81, died after care-work Calum Knox syringed ‘liquid’ in to her mouth. Knox had been charged with attempted murder and neglect in relation to her death and Susan Reid below. The murder charge was later deleted, Knox was convicted of assault and was given a community service order. Knox was also found to have attacked another woman, Agnes Ferguson, 81, poking and prodding her ribs causing her to scream in pain.
  86. July 2018: Susan Reid, 73, died after care-work Calum Knox syringed ‘liquid’ in to her mouth. Knox had been charged with attempted murder and neglect in relation to her death and Anne Reid above. The murder charges were found ‘not proven’.
  87. 1 July 2018: Shuren Ma, 72, was found with a critical head injury and died at the scene by police who had been called to a disturbance. Her partner, Zhizhang Shan, 74, attacked Shuren in their home in Woolwich, by striking her repeatedly over the head with a rolling pin and by stabbing her repeatedly in the chest and abdomen. Shan pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility.
  88. 4 July 2018: Judy Constant, 62, was found at a property in Marlborough Road, Islington. A post-mortem found she had suffered blunt force trauma. Her son, Darren Constant, 37, was arrested in July 2018 and released under investigation. In March 2021 he was charged with murder. He was remanded in custody and awaits trial.
  89. 6 July 2018: Samantha Toms, 47, was found dead at home in East Sussex. She had been smothered. Her partner Ralph Fairman, 50, was convicted of manslaughter by diminished responsibility and sentenced to a minimum of nine years.
  90. 7 July 2018: Lorna Myers, 54, was stabbed to death by her son, Malo Myers, 32, who was found guilty of manslaughter. Her 14-year-old son, who was also stabbed, survived the attack.
  91. 8 July 2018: Stela Marisabel Domador-Kuzma, 34, was stabbed to death by her housemate Ryan Thornton, 20, at the home they shared in Bournemouth. Thornton, who has also admitted charges of possessing indecent images of children, pleaded guilty to murder.
  92. 8 July 2018: Patricia Franks, 86, was killed through blunt force trauma and strangulation by her husband Lawrence Franks, 84, at their home in Stockport. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility.
  93. 8 July 2018: Dawn Sturgess, 44, was killed after applying the nerve agent novichok which had been discarded in a counterfeit perfume bottle. The UK Government believe it was the same military-grade substance used in an attack on a former Russian spy and are said the hold the Russian state responsible.
  94. 10 July 2018: Gina Ingles, 34, and her 4-year-old son, Milo, 4, died of smoke inhalation after a fire in their home in East Sussex. Her partner, 26, was injured and survived the fire. Jacob Barnard,32, and Andrew Milne,42, were found guilty of two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
  95. 10 July 2018: Joyce Burgess, 84, died of a heart attack in hospital 3 days after being assaulted by Johnny Brazil, 27, when he burgled her home in Surrey. He caused significant injuries to her arms, face and chest and admitted manslaughter in June 2019.
  96. 12 July 2018: Riasat Bi, 86, died of multiple stab wounds after she was attacked by Madni Ahmed, 20, in her home in Birmingham. Her 18-year-old grandson was also stabbed and survived the attack. Ahmed was convicted of murder, attempted murder, possession of an offensive weapon and affray. He was sentenced to 36 years.
  97. 12 July 2018: Katerina Makunova, 17, was killed during an argument with her ex-boyfriend, Oluwaseyi Dada, 21. Dada had a history of coercive and controlling behaviour towards Katerina and police had been involved on numerous occasions. Katerina died when she ‘fell’ onto a kitchen knife that was in her handbag. Dada was sentenced to two years and three months for manslaughter.
  98. 16 July 2018: Claire Wright, 38, was tied up and gagged by her partner Warren Coulton, 51, at a campsite in Wales. She died of asphyxiation in a supposed ‘sex-game gone wrong’. Coulton fled the scene, leaving Claire’s body to be found by cleaning and maintenance staff. He was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence and sentenced to six years imprisonment.
  99. 19 July 2018: Lesley Davies, 81, died in hospital after being attacked in the street outside her home in Cornwall. She was pushed to the ground and stamped on by her partner, Brian Downie, 69. He was given an indefinite hospital order.
  100. 24 July 2018: Sheila Thomas, 69, was found dead with stab wounds at her home in South London. She had been bludgeoned with a piece of wood and stabbed by her husband, David Thomas, 73, at their home in Herne Hill, South London. Sheila had suffered years of abuse at the hands of David Thomas and she had told him she wanted to separate. He was convicted of murder.
  101. 26 July 2018: Lucy McHugh, 13, was found stabbed to death in woodland in Southampton. Stephen-Alan Nicholson, 24, was found guilty of three counts of rape and of Lucy’s murder. The trial heard that Nicholson murdered Lucy to prevent her exposing him as an abuser.
  102. 29 July 2018: Stephanie (aka Stevie) Packman 64, was killed by her husband Michael Packman, 66, at their home in Sittingbourne. He cut her throat and then tried to kill himself. He was given a 2-year suspended sentence.
  103. July 2018: Anne Reid, 81, died after care-work Calum Knox syringed ‘liquid’ in to her mouth. Knox had been charged with attempted murder and neglect in relation to her death and Susan Reid below. Knox is also facing charges in relation to other patients.
  104. July 2018: Susan Reid, 73, died after care-work Calum Knox syringed ‘liquid’ in to her mouth. Knox had been charged with attempted murder and neglect in relation to her death and Anne Reid above. Knox is also facing charges in relation to other patients.
  1. 27 July 2018: Sam Eastwood, 28, was found dead in a shallow grave in Staffordshire eight days after being strangled by her partner Michael Stirling, 32. Stirling was given a life sentence for murder.
  2. 2 August 2018: Karen Peter, 50, was found dead after a house fire in Dagenham, East London. Her husband, Thomas Peter, 50, strangled Karen and then set alight to her body in a locked bedroom. Thomas Peter subjected Karen to violence and abuse throughout the marriage. He was found guilty of murder and arson with intent to endanger life.
  3. 3 August 2018: Kelly Franklin, 29, was stabbed to death in the street in what police have described as a ‘targeted attack’. Her ex-partner, Torbjorn (Ian) Kettlewell, 30, was convicted of murder and jailed for 29 years. His partner, Julie Wass, was convicted of manslaughter.
  4. 6 August 2018: Katherine (Katie) Kemp, 31, was found stabbed to death after her husband Thomas Kemp, 32, jumped out of a window. Thomas Kemp had stabbed Katherine 28 times at the flat they shared in Ipswich.
  5. 6 August 2018: Tracey Evans, 52, was found dead in her flat in Leicestershire. Her partner, Jeremy Clarke, 54, had slit her throat from ‘ear-to-ear’. Clarke had subjected Tracey to physical, emotional and financial abuse throughout the relationship. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison for murder.
  6. 7 August 2018: Marie Walker, 61, was found dead by the police in her home Edinburgh after neighbours raised concerns. She was strangled to death by her partner Robert Douglas, 62. Douglas was convicted of her murder and must serve at least 16 years in prison.
  1. 15 August 2018: Simonne Kerr, 31, was stabbed 70 times by Desmond Sylva, 40, at his flat in Clapham, south London. Sylva, who has a history of violence and abuse against women, must serve a minimum of 21 years after he was convicted of murder.
  2. 15 August 2018: Barbara Davison, 66, was found dead at her home in Redcar. She had been strangled by her partner Paul Plunkett, 61. In 1995, Plunket served a three-year sentence for strangling his partner, Jackie Aspery, to death. He was sentenced to a minimum of 23 years Barbara’s murder.
  3. 22 August 2018: Carole Harrison, 73, was found dead after a fire at her house in South West London. Though cause of death could not be established, there was evidence that Carole had been assaulted. William Kydd, 54, who was known to the victim, was convicted of murder and sentenced to a minimum tariff of 30 years in prison.
  4. 26 August 2018: Sharon Perrett, 37, was found dead at her home in Dorset. A post-mortem revealed she had sustained multiple impact injuries to her head, neck, chest and limbs. She had 15 fractured ribs and more than 80 area of external bruising and abrasions. Her partner Daniel O’Malley-Keyes, 30, is serving an 18-year sentence for murder.
  5. 27 August 2018: Raneem Oudeh, 22, was stabbed to death along with her mother, Khaola Saleem, 49, outside Khaola’s home in Solihull. Janbaz Tarin, 21, was sentenced to a minimum of 32 years double-murder. Raneem had been trying to end her relationship with Tarin since April that year.
  6. 27 August 2018: Khaola Saleem, 22, was stabbed to death along with her daughter, Raneem Oudeh, 22, outside her home in Solihull. Janbaz Tarin, 21, was sentenced to a minimum of 32 years double-murder. Raneem had been trying to end her relationship with Tarin since April that year.
  7. August 2018: Eileen Baxter, 75, died of multiple organ failure following the puncture of her bowl caused by a vaginal mesh implant. The insufficiently tested and poorly regulated plastic mesh devices have been called the greatest health scandal since Thalidomide. Eileen was not killed by a violent man. Women’s pain is routinely ignored and minimised and this dangerous surgery is facing increased scrutiny.
  8. 28 August 2018: Lisa Butler, 48, was stabbed to death by her uncle Richard Butler, 66, at a caravan park in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.  Butler killed himself at the scene.
  9. 29 August 2018: Laura Harrison, 36, was beaten, strangled, and stabbed once in the forehead and 17 times in the buttocks by her boyfriend Jonathon Robinson, 32, at his home in Middlesbrough. Robinson had been violent and abusive to Laura throughout the relationship. He was sentenced to 21 years for murder.
  10. 1 September 2018: Celia Levitt, 68, was stabbed with a kitting needle and strangled by her son, Barry Levitt, 36, at his home in Bromley, south London. He was given an indefinite hospital order for manslaughter by diminished responsibility.
  11. 2 September 2018: Julie Owens, 52, died in hospital 11 days after being seriously assaulted, by her son John Owens, 30, at her home in Liverpool. John Owens was sentenced to four and a half years for manslaughter.
  12. 5 September 2018: Joan Hoggett, 62, was stabbed multiple times whilst at work in a local shop in Fulwell, Sunderland. Ethan Mountain, 19, pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility.
  13. 6 September 2018: Memunatu Warne, 43, died of smoke inhalation after a masked man riding a moped threw a petrol bomb through a window of the home of a relative whom she was visiting in Woolwich, south-east London. William Smith, 26, and Elliot Robinson, 22, were found guilty of murder and were sentenced to 32 years and 31 years respectively.
  14. 6 September 2018: Kylie Dembrey, 28, died following an attack at her home in Berkshire in which she was strangled and then stabbed by her partner Mark Sinclair, 30. Sinclair was violent and abusive towards Kylie throughout their 12-year relationship and has at least five previous convictions related to domestic violence. He was convicted of murder.
  15. 9 September 2018: Susan Gyde, 52, was found by police when they were called to attend to a serious assault at the home she shared with her husband, Philip Gyde, 58, in Burton, Staffordshire. She was pronounced dead later in hospital. She had been strangled by Philip Gyde, who was convicted of her murder.
  16. 11 September 2018: Yvonne Robinson, 60, died at her home in Cumbria. A post mortem revealed that the cause of her death was blunt chest trauma. She had 15 rib fractures and was suffering from neglect. Her partner, Colin Sharples was arrested after her death but died before the post mortem was produced. Assistant coroner Dr Nicholas Shaw said had he not died ‘I have no doubt he would have been arrested and prosecuted in relation to Yvonne’s death and he might well have been charged with her murder.’ There was a history of him abusing her.
  17. 20 September 2018: Kay Richardson, 49, was killed at her home in Sunderland by her husband Alan Martin, 53, who then killed himself. Martin, who had been questioned by police on suspicion of rape in the days before the killing, repeatedly hit Kay Richardson over the head with a hammer before strangling her with an electric cable. Kay had repeatedly reported Martin to the police and he had been served with an injunction one day before he killed her.
  18. 21 September 2018: Cristina Magda-Calancea, 26, was stabbed to death, Norfolk, at her home in Kings Lynn. Her ex-partner, Gediminas Jasinskas, 29, hid in Cristina’s garage as he waited for her to finish work, before stabbing her 25 times. Jasinskas was convicted of murder and sentenced to a minimum of 20 years.
  19. 21 September 2018: Frances Hubbard, 81, was killed after her husband, Michael Hubbard, 81, repeatedly stabbed her in the head with two kitchen knives, at their home in Norfolk. A trial of facts hearing found that Michael Hubbard had caused her death and he was detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act.
  20. 23 September 2018: Sandra Zmijan, 32, was found dead in Wojciech Tadewicz’s, 26, back garden in Hayes, west London. Tadewicz had repeatedly struck Sandra with a hammer a day after she told him they could ‘only ever be friends’. He was jailed for a minimum of 22 years for murder.
  21. 25 September 2018: Margaret Harris, 78, and her daughter Sharon Harris, 55, were stabbed to death by their neighbour, Jack Ralph, 28, at their home in Hadlow, Kent. Margaret’s husband was also stabbed in the attack and survived. Ralph was found guilty of two counts of manslaughter by diminished responsibility and one of attempted murder.
  22. 25 September 2018: Sharon Harris, 55, and her mother Margaret Harris, 78, were stabbed to death by their neighbour, Jack Ralph, 28, at their home in Hadlow, Kent. Her father, David Harris, survived the attack with serious injuries.
  23. 26 September 2018: Jeanna Maher, 51, was bound with a ligature at her wrists and ankles and repeatedly hit on the head and a body with an unknown implement at a house in Drumchapel, Glasgow. Her husband Peter Maher, 57 at the time of her death, was initially found unfit to plea and was detained in a secure hospital. He has since been charged with Jeanna Maher’s murder and is awaiting a criminal trial.
  24. 30 September 2018: Glenda Jackson, 44, was beaten and stabbed to death by her neighbours, Nicholas Curtis, 32, and Stuart Curtis, 31, on the street outside her home in Merseyside. Previously, Glenda had reported to police that she had been subject to homophobic abuse perpetrated by a group the men were connected to. The brothers were found guilty of murder.
  25. 1 October 2018: Avan Najmadeen, 32, was stabbed 50 times by her husband, Dana Abdullah, 35, at her home in Stoke-on-Trent. The court heard that Avan had moved several times because she did not want Abdullah to know where she was living. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to a minimum term of 18 years and eight months.
  26. 5 October 2018: Claire Turnbull, 36, was hit eight times on the back of her head with a claw hammer by Aaron Donald, 28, in a flat he shared with his girlfriend in Blairhall, West Fife. Donald did not know Claire at the time of the attack. The court heard that Donald had 50 previous convictions, including seven for violence.
  27. 8 October 2018: Natalie Saunders, 33, was found dead at her home in Cleveland. There were 85 separate sites of injury on her body – with a minimum of three blows found to her face, 13 to her head and neck, 23 to her torso, and 25 to her lower limbs. Her boyfriend Stephen Charlton, 24, was found guilty of her murder.
  28. 9 October 2018: Sarah Wellgreen, 47, was last seen alive on 9 October 2018. Her former partner, Ben Lacomba, 38, was convicted of her murder. The trial heard that Lacomba killed and disposed of Sarah’s body after she sought to buy him out of the home they shared in Kent, despite having separated in 2014. Her body has never been found.
  29. 22 October 2018: Nazia Begum Ali, 25, was found dead at her home in Bow, east London. A trial heard that her husband, Mohammed Anhar Ali, 32, had waited inside a cupboard for up to 10 hours for her to return, before beating and strangling her to death. The judge described Anhar Ali as ‘manipulative and overbearing’ towards Nazia and that his conduct was fuelled by a failure to accept that she was ‘entitled to leave him, entitled to divorce him and entitled to live her own life’.
  30. 24 October 2018: Teresa Garner, 46, died of significant head injuries from severe blunt force trauma with a hammer at the home she shared with her husband, John Garner, in North Wales. John Garner, 51, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 22 years. Three women gave evidence at the trial and stated that Garner was violent and abusive during their relationships.
  31. 28 October 2018: Lynn Forde, 35, was found dead after her partner Phil Osborne, 36, called the police and told them that he had killed her before killing himself 30 miles away.
  32. 29 October 2018: Mavis Bran, 69, died in hospital of multiple organ failure after developing sepsis and hypothermia after suffering severe burns in the chip shop she owned with her husband in Carmarthenshire. Geoff Bran, 70, her husband, was charged with and later cleared of her murder though admitted that he continued to serve customers in the chip shop rather than seek medical assistance. Mavis had previously confided in a friend that he was abusive to her.
  33. 30 October 2018: Sheena Jackson, 58 was found dead in the home she shared with her husband, Alexander Jackson, 65, in Stirling. Police have confirmed that her death was murder. Her husband was found seriously unwell inside the property and died later. It is believed Alexander Jackson killed Sheena and then took his own life.
  34. 2 November 2018: Anne Marie Pomphret, 49, was found dead at the stables she owned in Warrington having suffered serious head injuries. Her husband David Pompthret, 50, was charged with her murder in April 2019 and found guilty in October 2019. He had battered her to death with a crowbar
  35. 3 November 2018: Renata Poncova, 33, was pushed out of an 8th floor window by her boyfriend Tony Taylor, 33, at the flat they shared in Southwark, south-London. Taylor then jumped from the window. An inquest found that Renata was unlawfully killed and Taylor died as a result of suicide.
  36. 6 November 2018: Fiona McDonald, 44, was stabbed 47 times by her neighbour, William Finlay, at her home in Falkirk. Finlay, 56, admitted murder and was sentenced to at least 17 years.
  37. 8 Nov 2018: Natalie Smith, 34, stabbed by her ex-partner, Craig Stewart, and was found at her home in Bristol with life threatening injuries. She died in hospital. Craig Stewart, 36, died at the scene from self-inflicted stab wounds.
  38. 12 November 2018: Katarzyna (Kasia) Paszek, 39, died in hospital with a blunt force head injury. An inquest heard that she had been subjected to domestic abuse and had been receiving help from the West Wales Domestic Abuse Service for a year prior to her death. Four men were initially arrested in relation to her death. The inquest was informed by police that there were “significant inconsistencies” in the statements surrounding the incident. which made it impossible to establish what happened or what caused her death. The coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.
  39. 12 November 2018: Tasneem Sheikh was hit over the head five times with a vase at the home she shared with her husband, Naseer Khan, 66, in Wandsworth, south London. Khan was found guilty of manslaughter by diminished responsibility and given an indefinite hospital order.
  40. 12 November 2018: Sana Muhammad, 35, was shot in the stomach with a crossbow. She was pronounced dead by doctors, who were able to deliver the baby she was carrying. Her ex-husband, Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo, 50, hid in the shed in Sana’s garden, at her home in Ilford, armed with two crossbows, bolts, a knife, duct tape, cables ties and a hammer. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to a minimum of 33 years.
  41. 13 November 2018: Pauline Kilkenny, 59, was found dead at her home in County Fermanagh after concerns were raised when she didn’t turn up at work. Joseph Dolan, 28, who was lodging with Pauline at the time, stabbed her 28 times.
  42. 16 November 2018: Maureen Watkins, 75, died from multiple stab wounds by her son, Edward Watkins, 55, at their home in Peckham, south-east London. Watkins was detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act.
  43. 16 November 2018: Valerie Kneale, 75, was in hospital in a stoke unit in Blackpool. She died of a haemorrhage caused by a ‘non-medical related internal injury’. The post-mortem examination was one of a number carried out as part of an investigation into allegations of mistreatment and neglect on the hospital’s stroke unit. Investigating officers had received information about other allegations of serious sexual assaults against two patients, as well as the sexual assault of a healthcare professional working on the stroke unit.  A healthcare professional was arrested under suspicion of rape and murder in 2021.
  44. 17 November 2018: Jacqueline Allen, 65, died when her daughter’s home in Kent was set alight, shortly after warning the police that her daughter’s ex-partner was dangerous. Her daughter’s ex-partner, Simon Childs, 51, was found guilty of the murder of Jacqueline and attempted murder of her 12-year-old granddaughter.
  45. 24 November 2018: Samantha Gosney, 29, was stabbed to death in her home in Merseyside by her partner Adam Brettle, 23. The court heard that Brettle was ‘controlling and jealous’ and that he stabbed Samantha – who suffered 29 wounds in the attack – when she made plans to attend her grandmother’s funeral.
  46. 25 November 2018: Karen Cleary-Brown, 44, went missing in Jamaica. She was found dead on 3rd December.  Shelden Hewitt, 32, who was working on her property confessed to her murder.
  47. 27 November 2018: Lorraine Matos-Sanchez, 27, died of compression to her neck inflicted by her husband Jesus Matos-Sanchez, 31, at their home in Leicestershire. He then killed himself. A review into Lorraine’s killing found that she had previously text a friend stating she thought he was going to kill her.
  48. 28 November 2018: Kelly Worgan, 33, was strangled to death by her husband George Worgan, 35, at their home in Bristol. He was given a life sentence, to serve minimum term of 12 and a half years.
  49. 29 November 2018: Barbara Findlay, 58 was from Kennington, S. London but had lived in Jamaica for the last 5 years. She was reported missing on 29 November. She was found dead on 5 December.
  50. 1 December 2018: Grace Millane, 22, was from Essex. She went missing on 1st December whilst travelling in New Zealand. She was found dead on 9 December.  Jesse Kempson, 28, was convicted of her murder. In the time since his conviction, Kempson was convicted of a further eight charges relating to violence against women, including using a knife against a woman.
  51. 4 December2018: Maureen Whale, 77, collapsed on the phone when calling the police while her house was being burgled by two males. Post-mortem tests found she died from coronary heart disease brought on by the stress of the incident. The men have not been found.
  52. 5 December 2018: Sally Cavender, 55, was taken to hospital critically injured but died shortly after. Sally was strangled and beaten by her partner, Robert Simpson-Scott, in his home in Cambridge. He was found guilty of her murder.
  53. 10 December 2018: June Knight, 79, died at a care home in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. Her son, Robert Knight, 52, threw her from a first-floor balcony causing ‘catastrophic’ head injuries. Knight was convicted of manslaughter and given a suspended sentence.
  54. 13 December 2018, Keely McGrath, 30, was beaten and stabbed to death by her partner, Anthony Davis, at their home in Derbyshire. Davis, 39, was convicted of murder and must serve at least 24 years in prison.
  55. 14 December 2018: Poppy Devey-Waterhouse, 24, sustained more than 100 injuries when her ex-boyfriend, Joe Atkinson, 25, attacked her with a knife at their home in Yorkshire. Poppy suffered 70 knife injuries. The court heard that Atkinson failed to accept the relationship was over. He was convicted of murder.
  56. 17 December 2018: Sheila Small, 73, was beaten to death with a rolling pin and walking stick by her husband Edward Small, 76 at their home in Bradford. Prosecutor David Brooke QC said she had wounds to the top of her head that had split the skin to the skull. She had up to 26 separate injuries to her face, extensive bruising to her body and all four limbs, a shattered shoulder blade, a broken collar bone and fractured ribs. Her right arm was “absolutely covered in bruises” and the index finger was broken.
  57. 19 December 2018: Lana-Jayne Owen, 46, was strangled to death in her home in Rhondda Cynon Taff. Her partner Philip Andrews, 51, was charged with her murder and died of a terminal illness before facing trial. It is believed he strangled Lana with a length of cord. The coroner recorded a conclusion of unlawful killing.
  58. 22 December 2018: Marissa Aldrich, 29, was drowned in a balancing pond in Cambridgeshire, by her boyfriend Robert McWhir, 25. McWhir had a history of coercive and controlling behaviour. Just before the attack he had been accusing Marissa of seeing other men.
  59. 22 December 2018: Joanne Gallacher, 33, was stabbed 57 times by her partner, James Kennedy, 31, at his home in Lanarkshire.
  60. 23 December 2018: Carole Forth, 56, was strangled to death by her partner, Edward Scott, 62, at their home in Hull. He was found guilty of manslaughter.
  61. 25 December 2018: Parwin Quriashi, 19, was found with serious injuries caused by multiple stab wounds. She had been stabbed 38 times by her husband, Mohammad Qureshi, 27, at their home in Kent. He was sentenced to 16 years for murder.
  62. 26 December 2018: Angela Mittal, 41 was stabbed 59 times by her husband, Laurens Brand, 47, shortly after speaking to a solicitor about divorce. In a recording of a 999-call played to court, Brand said: ‘She was going to leave me… I couldn’t let that happen’.
  63. 26 December 2018: Alena Grlakova, 38, was found dead, naked in stream, in Rotherham, in April 2019 after having last been seen alive on boxing day 2018. She had been strangled and her body was covered In grit and stone. Gary Allen, 47, was found guilty of her murder.
  64. 26 December 2018: Joy Morgan, 21 was last seen alive at a church celebration in London. Joy’s body was found months later in Hertfordshire woodland. The cause of death could not be established but it is thought she may have been given drugs without her knowledge. An acquaintance, Ajibola Shogbamimu, 40, was found guilty of her murder.
  65. 30 December 2018: June Jones, 33, also known as Katie, was found dead at her home in West Bromwich after being reported missing on 26 December. She was found in the bath and wrapped in a rug with a knife placed on top of her body. It is believed she had been killed around 10th Her ex-boyfriend, Michael Foran, 32, is serving a life sentence for murder.
  66. 30 December 2018: Linda Jane McArity, 50, was found strangled in her home. Ian Kerr, 36, was found guilty of her murder.

Clare’s Law – Let’s talk about Manchester

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Becky Ayres, killed on the 6th March 2014,  is the second woman in Greater Manchester to have been stabbed by a partner/ex-partner this year following the stabbing of Caroline Finegan in January.  Last year, 5 women in Manchester were killed by a partner/ex-partner and 3 women were killed by their sons. The year before, 2012, 4 women were killed by a partner/ex.  That’s 14 women in Manchester killed through men’s violence in two years.

Greater Manchester Police were piloting the domestic violence disclosure scheme, also known as Clare’s Law, from September 2012 to September 2013.  Clare’s Law allows people – of course most of them will be women – to ask the police to check whether a partner – of course most of them will be men – has a violent past. If police checks show that a ‘person’ may be at risk of domestic violence from their partner, the police will consider disclosing the information. The pilot was also supposed look at how the police could proactively release information (‘right to know’) to protect a ‘person’ from domestic violence where lawful, necessary and proportionate.

Linzi Ashton was murdered by Michael Cope nine months in to the Clare’s Law pilot.  We know that Greater Manchester Police knew that Cope was being violent to Linzi, that he had raped her and strangled her.  Through the court we have also learned that he had a known history of violence to two former partners as well as other convictions for violent crimes.  It appears to me that there was ample evidence to suggest that the police should have shared information about Cope with Linzi and should have realised the danger that she was in. Whether they did so or not, Linzi is dead and suffered a brutal painful death.  After her death, there were 108 injuries on Linzi’s body, there were fractures to her right forearm, left elbow, neck, her nose was broken, there were ligature marks to her throat, as well as a cut along her throat. She had been punched, kicked, stamped on, cut with a blade, beaten with a metal pole and strangled with a cable tie.

During the pilot of Clare’s Law, as well as Linzi Ashton, the following women were killed through men’s violence:  Jabeen Younis, 32 was stabbed 19 times by her husband Jahangir Nazar;  Marianne Stones, 58, was strangled by her son Paul Stones, she also had a cut to the nose and bruising on her eye, arms and tongue;  and Zaneta Kindzierska, 32 was stabbed by her husband Krzysztof Kindzierski.  The body of Rania Alayed, 25 has not been found.   Her husband and brother-in-law have been charged with her murder. They both deny the charges and will face trial in April.

The IPCC is investigating Greater Manchester Police’s contact with Linzi Ashton before her death.  I fully expect to see a report showing that ‘lessons have been learned’.   I’m sick of reading that lessons have been learned whilst still women are being killed by violent men.

The basic principle of allowing women to find out if a partner/prospective partner has a violent history is sound.  I’ve spoken to several women who have had violent relationships who have told me that they think it would have made a difference to them, to have what we might call ‘warning signs’ confirmed. But Clare’s Law needs to be resourced and that means investment in, not cuts to, specialist women’s services.

I’m concerned that the government is going for quick fixes and headlines.  The number of women killed though domestic violence has remained consistent for over 10 years. Yet that’s not the whole story.  Approximately one quarter of women killed though men’s violence over the last two years have not been killed by a partner or former partner. The Government has a strategy to end violence against women and girls within which it states that: “The causes and consequences of violence against women and girls are complex. For too long government has focused on violence against women and girls as a criminal justice issue” and yet its actions do not match that commitment.  I launched my campaign ‘counting dead women’ to highlight the extent of the problem of fatal male violence against women and to urge the government to do more to stop this happening.  We need changes to the Criminal Justice System for sure, but we need so much more than that.

Clare’s Law, during its pilot in Manchester, did not prevent the deaths of Linzi Ashton, Jabeen Younis, Marianne Stones, Zaneta Kindzierska and Rania Alayed. Men’s violence against women and girls is a cause and consequence of inequality between women and men. Quick fixes are not the solution.  Clare’s Law, may make a difference to some women who request information, but it’s not enough.  I want to see changes to show that lessons really have been learned and that things are going to be different.  Until then and until the government admits the seriousness of the problem and properly commits to doing  everything it can to understand and end male violence, women will continue to be beaten, raped, abused, controlled and killed by men.

In memory of

Becky Ayres

24

06 March 2014
Caroline Finegan

30

16 January 2014
Jabeen Younis

32

19 April 2013
Marianne Stones

58

09 June 2013
Zaneta Kindzierska

32

16 June 2013
Linzi Ashton

25

29 June 2013
Rania Alayed

25
Olwen Dohoney

86

12 November 2013
Aisha Alam

49

22 November 2013
Glennis Brierley

64

14 December 2013
Leanne McNuff

24

11 March 2012
Kelly Davies

31

02 June 2012
Razu Khanum

38

08 June 2012
Esther Aragundade

32

26 June 2012

There are a lot of isolated incidents around

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One of the reasons I started counting dead women was hearing a murder of a woman killed referred to as an ‘isolated incident’.  Seven women were killed in the first three days of 2012 and yet connections between these occurrences of men’s fatal violence against women were absent.   It’s little over two years and 275 dead women later, and police are still describing men’s killings of women as isolated incidents.

On Sunday 23rd February 2014, two women, one in her 60s and one in her 40s, as yet unnamed but believed to be mother and daughter, were shot dead.  82 year-old John Lowe has been arrested for their murders.  A Detective Chief Inspector speaking on behalf of Surrey police said:

“We are conducting a full and thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding these two deaths. However, at this time, we believe this is an isolated incident and there is no further risk to the wider community.”

Which aspect of  their murders was an isolated incident? That they were killed by a man.  Surely not, as stated above 275 women have been killed by men in the last 26 months.  That they were shot?  No, not that either. At least 15 of the 275 women killed were shot .

Less than two weeks earlier, 20 year-old Hollie Gazzard was stabbed  to death. A Police Chief Inspector said

“I would like to reassure members of this community, both residents and local businesses, that this is an isolated incident. These offences don’t happen in Gloucester regularly. This incident was very tragic, however; both victim and suspect knew each other. They were in a previous relationship. That doesn’t lessen this horrific incident but it would be good for us to reassure the local community.”

Again, it’s difficult to see which aspect of Hollie’s murder was isolated.  That she was stabbed?  Definitely not, already in 2014, 6 women have been stabbed to death by men.  In 2013, at least 45 women were stabbed to death and there were 44 in 2012.  That’s 95 women stabbed in 26 months.  Was it that she was stabbed by someone that she had been in a relationship with? Certainly not that, approximately three-quarters of the UK women killed by men since January 2012 have been killed by a partner or former partner.  Perhaps then it’s that Hollie was killed in Gloucestershire.   Gloucestershire wouldn’t be described as a femicide hotspot, though  it’s only 6 months since the body of Jane Wiggett was found dead, her ex-husband has been charged with murder and remanded in custody.  Two women dead in 6 months?  Not so isolated then.

Earlier this year, on 24th January, 17 year-old Elizabeth Thomas was stabbed to death in Oxted, Surrey.  A 16-year-old male, said to be known to her, has been arrested on suspicion of her murder.  The Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector said:

“We believe this to be an isolated incident and that there is no risk to the further community.”

It’s difficult to fathom which aspect of Elizabeth’s murder was an isolated incident.  That she was killed by a man known to her? No. That she was stabbed?  No. That she was a teenager?  No, not that either.  Of the 275 women killed since January 2012, she’s the 16th teenager.  Maybe it’s that she lived in affluent Surrey, the county ranked fifth least deprived according to the multiple deprivation index?  Maybe that, after all it’s a long 14 months since 25 year-old Georgina Hackett was bludgeoned to death with a mallet by her boyfriend Daniel Baker.  Yet Elizabeth’s murder was followed only 5 weeks later by the fatal shooting of the two women mentioned earlier. Maybe now, Elizabeth’s murder seems a little less of an isolated incident.

Also earlier this year, 43 year-old Karen Wild was stabbed to death in Hanbury, Worcestershire.  A police  Superintendent said:

“Following this tragic incident, we continue our investigations in and around the house, including searches and forensic examinations.  I would like to reassure the local community that we believe this to be an isolated incident and no-one else is being sought in relation to our investigation.”

What was isolated about Karen Wild’s murder? We know it isn’t because she was killed by a man.  We know it isn’t because she was stabbed.  Worcestershire is another largely affluent area, Worcester district is ranked third least deprived according to the multiple deprivation index.  Maybe all that affluence shortens memories, after-all 3 women – Alethea Taylor, 63; Jacqueline Harrison, 47 and Louise Evans, 32 – were killed though male violence in Worcestershire in 2012.  Could it be that Karen’s son, Lian Wild was arrested and charged with her murder, that marks her killing as an isolated incident?  No, it isn’t that either; Karen Wild is one of at least 32 women who have been killed by their sons since January 2012.

This is not about local communities, affluent or not. It is about women and it is about men.  Are women not a community?  Is our risk through men’s violence unrecognised? It is self-evident that each women killed by a man is a unique individual, as is each man that makes the choice to kill her. The circumstances around each killing are never identical.   But that doesn’t make them isolated incidents.  By refusing to see a pattern we are refusing to see the myriad connections between incidents of men’s fatal violence against women; and by refusing to see the connections we are closing our eyes to the commonalities in the causes. What sort of a message would it send, if, when a man killed a woman, police didn’t refer to an isolated incident but to yet another example of femicide? Yet another example of men’s fatal violence against women. Maybe then, naming male violence,  misogyny, sex-inequality, dangerous rules of gender and patriarchy wouldn’t be restricted to feminists and would become part of a wider understanding.  Maybe then, there would be sufficient motivation to do something about ending men’s fatal violence against women.

Talking about men’s violence (It seems like I’ve been here before)

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Anybody pushing a ‘gender neutral’ approach to domestic – or sexual – violence is just a male violence enabler.

Men (mostly, but yes, some women too) don’t seem to like it when we talk about men’s violence against women.  The responses are nothing new and as yet never original,  so, as a result, I’ve written this to save me the bother of repeating the same thing over and over again because I am not going to stop talking about men’s violence against women and I don’t suppose men are going to stop finding that objectionable.  If I have sent you a link to this piece, it’s because

a) you have suggested that I don’t care about male victims

b) you refuse to accept than the extent of differences between men’s and women’s use of violence or the effects of that violence

c) you’re interpreting what I say as ‘all men are violent’

d) you’ve found it necessary to point out that women can be violent too

c) you have made some nonsense comment about feminism,  or

d) some combination of the above.

I want to see an end to men’s violence against women.  I’m campaigning to raise awareness of men’s fatal violence against women and for action to increase our understanding of the reasons behind the differences in men and women’s use of violence and their victimisation, so that we can reduce men’s violence against women.

Women who are murdered are most likely to have been murdered by a man.  Men who are murdered are most likely to have been murdered by a man.  Men are more likely to be violent than women.  Not all men are murderers, not all men are violent. Some women are murderers, some women are violent.

Gender and gender differences – the ways that many of us behave in ways that are seen as being like a ‘typical man’ or a ‘typical woman’ – are socially constructed.  They are not biological, they are not inevitable.  Not all women and not all men conform or want to conform to these gender differences, many of us sometimes do and sometimes don’t. Because gender differences are socially constructed, it means we can change them.  The stereotypical gender differences between women and men are a way of keeping women and men unequal. At the same time, different doesn’t have to mean unequal.

All men benefit from inequality between women and men.  This doesn’t mean that some women are not in more advantageous positions than some men. It doesn’t mean all men are the same.  It doesn’t mean that all women are the same.   It doesn’t mean that sex is the only important basis for inequality.  It doesn’t mean that everyone wants it to be that way.

Men’s violence against women is a cause and consequence of inequality between women and men. It doesn’t have to be that way. If enough of us decide to do things differently we can change the world.  Men don’t have to be violent, towards women or other men. Men can end male violence if enough of them want to.  The thing is, this won’t happen if too many men – and/or women – refuse to see that men’s violence is a problem.  The changes that will reduce men’s violence against women will also reduce men’s violence against other men, they will probably also reduce women’s violence.

I want to see an end to men’s violence against women.  What this means is “I want to see an end to men’s violence against women.”  It doesn’t mean that I do not care about other forms of violence.  It doesn’t mean that I do not feel any compassion towards male victims of violence.  It doesn’t mean that I don’t care  or that I celebrate if men are killed – and that is true whether they’re killed by a woman, or, as is more likely, by another man.

A straw man argument  is misrepresentation of someone else’s position to make it easier to attack or undermine that position.  When men – and it usually is men, but not always – attack me for caring about women killed though men’s violence, by suggesting that this means I don’t care about men who are victims of violence (whether from women, or as more likely, other men), they’re using a straw man argument.  They saying that because I care about men killing women, I can’t care about men who are killed, to attack the fact that I care about women who are killed. This may or may not be, as suggested by a friend of mine, Louise Pennington, because they do not care when men kill women. The thing is, whether they intend it or not, their attacks and their refusal to accept men’s violence as the  problem means that it is less likely that we’ll be able to make the changes that will make us all safer.  And even though men kill more men that they kill women, who benefits from things staying the same? Yep.  Men. Even the nice ones.

More British women killed though men’s violence last year than British troops killed in Afghanistan in the last 3 years

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Nigella Lawson used the phrase  ‘intimate terrorism’ to describe her abuse from Charles Saatchi in court in December last year.  It is a derivative of the more useful term ‘patriarchal terrorism’ which captures not only that men are overwhelmingly the perpetrators and women the victims,  but the wider cultural context – patriarchy – in which men’s violence against women takes place.  The concept of terrorism reminds us that abuse is physical and deadly but also about coercion and  reinforcing ideologies of dominance.

The UK’s military role against the Taliban in Afghanistan has claimed the lives of 99 members of the Army, RAF, Royal Marines and special forces in the last three years.  Regardless of, and not discounting the arguments for or against British military intervention and also not wishing to denigrate the death of even one person –  military or civilian, or  on either side –  the deaths of British military personnel are far outnumbered by the deaths of  140 women in the UK who were killed though men’s violence in one year alone.

I started keeping the list of the names of women killed in January 2012.   Many people know the statistic than ‘two women a week are killed through domestic violence in England and Wales ‘ but I thought keeping a list of the names of women killed made the horror of what is happening feel more real.  Since I started the list, I’ve counted 264 dead women: 120 in 2012, 140 in 2013 and already 4 in 2014.

When I started keeping the list, I was shocked and angry about the lack of attention given to the murders of women, and what feels like a refusal to look at the links between the different forms of men’s violence against women. It’s not only women being killed by their partners or ex-partners but by their sons, grandsons, fathers, business associates, as well as by rapists and robbers.

I launched a campaign “Counting Dead Women” because I want to see a fit-for-purpose record of fatal male violence against women. Unless we have an accurate picture of what is going on and make connections between the different forms of sexist murders, we will not stop men killing women.  264 dead women later and I’m not going to stop counting and naming the women killed until official records are being kept and the government is doing everything that it can. I’m asking anyone who feels the same and who hasn’t already done so to sign my petition demanding change.

I’d like to thank @thedwellproject for the analogy to British military deaths in Afghanistan in this post by Eddie. For Our Daughters have also compared women killed though male violence to British troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and N. Ireland.