This is a short clip on me on BBC World News talking about men’s fatal violence in the UK ON 26 Nov 2018.

Amnesty International are peddling distortions about trans homicides to push a trans activist agenda regarding the Gender Recognition Act consultation. They said:

“Trans women are suffering violence and abuse because they are trans. Over a quarter of trans people experience domestic violence and two women a week are killed by a partner in England and Wales.

So let’s look at homicide and sex differences, and homicide and trans people:

In the year ending March 2017 there were 613 recorded homicide victims and 617 recorded homicide suspects. The numbers aren’t exactly the same because sometimes there is more than one suspect and sometimes there are none.

• There were 433 male homicide victims and and 469 male suspects. That means
  • 71% of victims were male
  • 76 % of perpetrators were male
  • There were 8% more male perpetrators than victims
• There were 180 female victims and 148 female perpetrators
  • 29% of victims were female
  • 24% of perpetrators were female
  • There were 18% fewer female perpetrators than victims
• 50% of female victims aged 16+ were killed by a current or former partner (sex of perpetrator not specified)
• 3 % of male victims aged 16+ were killed by a current or former partner (sex of perpetrator not specified)

Trans people:

• Over the last decade there have been 7 homicides of trans people, all biologically male; there have been 12 homicides perpetrated trans people, all biologically male.
  • There were 71% more homicides perpetrated by trans people, all biologically male, than against trans people (all biologically male).

Women are perpetrators of homicide at 18% lower rates than we are victims. Males are perpetrators of homicide at 8% greater rates than they are victims. Trans people are perpetrators of homicide at 71% greater rates than they are victims.

One woman has been killed at the hands of a man every 2.6 days in the UK since 2012. Why isn’t Amnesty International pushing the concerns of female victims of homicide in relation to proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act? Facts matter. Social policy should be based on factual information not twisted and distorted disinformation.

Why is Amnesty International appropriating commonly used (but not particularly accurate) data about female victims of intimate partner homicide to pursue a trans activist agenda?

*Usual disclaimer: Every victim of homicide is a victim. I do not celebrate a single homicide. My sympathies to the loved ones of every victim. I support universal human rights. I am a feminist with a particular interest in the wellbeing of female victims of men’s violence.

This was the speech I gave in a pub at Women’s Place’s Leeds meeting on 28 September 2018. A speech that Judith Blake, the first woman Leader of Leeds City Council, prevented me from delivering  at the Civic Hall by cancelling the Woman’s Place booking.

I’ve worked in services for women who have been subjected to men’s violence for 29 years. I’m currently Chief Executive of a charity called nia –  nia started as Hackney Women’s Aid in 1975 – we’re based in East London and provide services to women, girls and children who have been subjected to sexual and domestic violence –  men’s violence.   Our services include community based domestic violence services, East London Rape Crisis, a specialist refuge for women with problematic substance use and one for women fleeing sexual exploitation – prostitution, trafficking, grooming.  That refuge is called Daria House, named after Daria Pionko, who was murdered, here in Leeds, in the so-called safe prostitution managed zone. Prostitution can never be safe.

Of course we would always work with a woman subjected to violence by a female perpetrator – but we’re talking a tiny number of cases a year, whereas every year we work face-to-face  with at least 1,500 women and girls who have been subjected to men’s violence and support many more over the phone or electronically.

In addition to my day job, I run the project Counting Dead Women – commemorating women killed by men in the UK and I’m co-founder of the Femicide Census in partnership with Women’s Aid.

I started Counting Dead Women  almost 7 years ago after the murder – on January 2 2012 – of a young woman in East London. Her name was Kirsty, she was 20 years old. Kirsty had been referred to nia a few weeks before she was killed.  When I heard about her death, I was on annual leave at the time, I  did what I think many of us here would do in similar circumstances, I took to the internet to find out more.  Even though I’ve been working in the field of women affected by men’s violence for years, and Kirsty wasn’t the first woman connected to places where I’d worked who had been killed,  I was perplexed by what I found, because there seemed to be report after report of women who’d been killed by men in week or so since Christmas,  just so many.  I made a note of their names because I wanted to figure out just how many women it was. It turned out that in the first three days of 2012 in the UK, eight women had been killed by men : three days, eight dead women: three shot, one stabbed,  one strangled with a dog lead, one battered with a blunt object before she was smothered with a pillow, one – a 77 year-old woman – beaten to death with her own walking stick, and an 87 year old woman battered to death with blunt force trauma by her own grandson.

Since then, I’ve counted and named 955 women killed by men in the UK – that’s an average of one woman dead at the hands of a man every 2.5 days.   I have read and absorbed the detail of each and every one of these killings of women by men. I have tried to learn something about the life and death of each woman.

I grew up in Huddersfield in the 70s and 80s. That meant growing up under the shadow of Peter Sutcliffe. I was 7 when he killed 28 year-old Wilma McCann (as far as we know, his first murder victim) 12 when he killed his last. He was charged  in 1981 – when I was a few weeks shy of 13 – for murdering 13 women in less than 6 years.  It’s no exaggeration to say that his violence was a formative influence. And the man I thought was my dad was violent and abusive to my mum and us kids, and there was violence and abuse in some of my friends’ early relationships too.

Men’s violence against women has been part of my life in one way or another for longer than I can remember – but  I have a nice home, a partner who I love and who loves me, a good job. I know I am fortunate.  Tonight,  I want to talk to you about why I think women only spaces and services are essential for women and children who have been subjected to men’s violence, women who don’t benefit from the safety and security  that I enjoy. Transgender ideology  creates an environment that is hostile to specialist single-sex services for women who have been subjected to men’s violence and one in which women cannot set our own boundaries.

__________________

87% of rapes of adults are committed against women and women are the victim in 80% of domestic homicides.

Males on the other hand

• Males commit 78% of violent crimes recorded in England and Wales.
• Males commit 88% of intimate partner homicides
• Males commit 90% of all murders in England and Wales.
• Males commit 98% of recorded sexual offences

One of the most important ways that we can contribute to creating a ‘safe space’ for women who have experienced men’s violence ……. Is quite simply by keeping men out – it’s simple probability  statistics. Men are for more likely to commit violence than women.

I’m not naive or dishonest enough to claim that women are never violent – of course some women are.  But when women are violent  – and remember its statistically way less frequent – when they are they are –  they generally cause less harm than violent men.

So let’s move on to look at males who identify as trans

There is no credible evidence suggesting that males who identify as trans commit violence against women at lower rates than those who do not.  In fact, evidence suggests that trans identified males commit violent crimes at rates comparable to men.  I’m not saying that men who identify as transgender are inherently violent or that all trans identified males are violent – just that they are no less violent that other males.

Despite claims to the contrary, Gender Recognition Certificates  and/or identification as trans does not reduce men’s violence.  They don’t magic away male socialisation. Self –declaration, even worse, would mean that any man who says he is a woman would be able to access specialist services for women subjected to men’s violence,  unless those services understand how to and have the guts to apply Equality Act Exemptions – and there is serious pressure which prevents many, if not most, from doing this.

Some say that ‘we’ – those of us working is specialist women’s services – can use risk assessments to assess whether a male who says he is trans poses a risk to women.

Let’s look at this in relation to women’s refuges:

When a risk assessment is completed with a woman looking to move in to a refuge, time is critical, you need to help her to get to a place of safety and quickly.  She’s either already left her home or is planning to do so urgently because she is in danger.  With risk assessment, you’re assessing the risk she is facing from her partner, planning how she can reduce risks associated with actually leaving,  whether the location of the refuge offers safety and whether she herself would pose a risk to others living in the refuge. Not whether or not she is actually a violent male.

If you expect refuges to accommodate males who identify as trans, you’re asking staff in women’s refuges to differentiate between

• Transgender people born male who have genuinely experienced men’s violence and have managed to unpick their male socialisation and who will not use their sense of male entitlement  or sexism or misogyny to harm, reduce and control women in the refuge and
• those transgender people born male who have genuinely experienced violence but are still dripping in male privilege and advantage and who hate or resent women; and
• those transgender people born male who are narcissistic perpetrators  who have managed to convince themselves (and others) that they are victims
• those transgender people born male who are fetishists and
• men who are pretending to be trans in order to track down a particular woman or access women in general

Why should we be put in this position? Why should women and children who have experienced men’s violence be put in that position? Why is prioritising the needs of women who have been subjected to men’s violence a problem?

Refuges and other specialist women’s services as women-only spaces,  offer not only  a physical, but also a psychological and emotional escape from men’s domination, control and violence:

• Away from the specific man that they are escaping or who has violated them
• Away from men in general
• Away from men’s control and demands for attention
• Away from the male gaze and their judgement of women
• A space where women share in common experiences of abuse – despite all the other differences between us

Women tell us that they want and value women-only space for safety, empathy, trust, comfort, a focus on women’s needs, expertise, confidence, and because they’re  less intimidating. Women say that a women only space has been an essential part of their recovery from men’s violence and that that being with women who have had similar experiences is a vital part of accepting that they are not to blame.

At least 80%  of males who identify as trans retain a penis. Do adult penises belong on women’s refuges and Rape Crisis centres? Do adult penises belong in women’s prisons? Most women in prison have been victims of crimes far more serious than those for which they were convicted and the majority have been subjected to men’s violence.

Many of the women and children we work with are terrified of males.  They 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 terror immediately and involuntarily.  They need and deserve a break.

Women are gas-lighted(manipulated to question their own sanity) by their abusive male partners all the time, it is furthering the abuse to then expect then to share women-only spaces with males who say that they are women because they are not.  The Gender Recognition Act has created what has been described by Professor Kathleen Stock as a legal fiction – males can be recognised as women under the law, but it doesn’t mean that they really are women.  Some people might choose to use preferred pronouns as a sign of courtesy to trans people – but it doesn’t mean that they all believe a person can change sex.  A person cannot change sex.  It undermines our ability to help women believe in themselves if we put them in positions where we expect them to believe this lie.

__________________

Some say that men will not go so far as to lie about being trans in order to access vulnerable women. Anyone who believes this has not spent much time with abusive men and has little idea of the lengths that some are prepared to go to.

• Men like retired police officer Bill Dowling, who called his ex-partner Victoria Rose to help him as – because he  said – he was coughing up blood.  Even though they were separated she went to help. When she arrived he shot her in the head.
• Men like Darren Sykes, who lured his 9 and 12 year old sons Paul and Jack in to the attic with the promise of a new train set. As they played with it he poured petrol round the house before setting it alight and turning the house into an inferno. His intention – lifelong mental torture of Claire Throssell, his ex-wife, mother of the two now-dead two boys.
• Men like Stephen Wood, a child abuser on remand for multiple rapes with a long record of sexual and violent offences against women and girls, who said he was trans, and despite retaining his full male genitalia was sent to New Hall Prison under the name Karen White where he assaulted 4 inmates within days of being moved in.

I know these are  extreme examples, most women who experience men’s violence are not killed and most men do not kill their children  – but  they are  illustrative of the lengths that some men are prepared to go to. And those of us who know violent men or women who have been victims of violent men know that there are too many men who would go exactly this far.

Violent men lie and manipulate. Violent men are prepared to stand in court in a witness box and lie. According to data we found for The Femicide Census, of 37 men who pleaded not guilty to murdering women in 2016, only 1 was actually found not guilty of all charges.

We are told that trans people are disproportionately victims of violence this may be true and as a human being I support efforts to reduce crime, violence, hate and discrimination against anyone. As a feminist I applaud those who reject the trappings of gender but as a feminist I cannot stand by if  women are being sold out in this process.   And if we look at homicide, in the last decade, in the UK, there have been 8 homicides of trans people – all biologically male;  on the other hand, trans people – all of these biologically male –  have killed 11, 4 of their victims were women.  And in the same period, men have killed at least 1,373 women.

There are two different issues here – but both are issues that reduce the safety of women – because of the erosion of women-only space

1)  Males  will lie about being trans in order to access women and children  and 2) males who identify as trans commit violence against women at rates akin to those of males who do not

I don’t really care which group we’re most concerned about – my concern is women – especially women who have already been subjected to men’s violence.

This is not about lack of compassion with trans people; it is not about denying anyone’s human rights, anyone’s privacy and dignity. Of course not.  But it is about fighting for women’s human rights. Our right to safety, our right to life, our privacy and our dignity. It is about recognising that women have sex-based rights and protections for a reason.

Men have already killed at least 101 UK women this year.  Many thousands of women have been raped.  Many 1000s live with the threat of violence every day. Victim-survivors of men’s violence deserve the breather, the sanctuary,  that is offered by a women only space. Of course it’s too late for the women who have been killed.  . We need to fight for single sex spaces and services.  Let’s not play Russian roulette with the lives of women who have already suffered men’s violence.

The fight against sexual and domestic violence and abuse has been led by women, supporting women. We wouldn’t have a network of refuges and domestic violence and abuse services or Rape Crisis centres if feminists activists and survivors (and of course many women are both) women like Sandra [McNeill] and Jalna [Hamner] who are both here tonight had not created them because they realised that we – women – needed them, and we – women – wanted to support other women facing what we have faced.  And whilst women have succeeded in creating change and this has always been under threat, we are facing a new backlash. We have not yet managed to eradicate men’s violence against women – nor indeed to overthrow the patriarchy,  not yet.  It is our responsibility – those of us here now – to protect and fight for what our fore-sisters created and continue the legacy that helps women escape and recover from  men’s  violence.

If you would like to donate to support nia, an East London based charity supporting women, girls and children subjected to sexual and domestic violence, please click here .

Self-declaration creates an environment that is hostile to specialist single-sex services and one in which women cannot set our own boundaries

This is what I’d planned to say in opposition to a motion at the Women’s Equality Party 2018 in favour of simplifying the ‘gender recognition certificate’ process. I’d slightly edited it to get it under the expected required 3 minutes (so it was already over-simplified and by no means everything I want to say) but in the event on the day, I had to further cut it down because there were so many who wanted to speak (both for and against) the motion, Whilst that was frustrating, it’s fine, it’s part of a democratic process. The outcome is that the WEP will be further consulting its members on this issue. I applaud WEP for daring to tackle these issues and for consulting members.

My name is Karen Ingala Smith. I have worked in services for women who have been subjected to men’s violence for 29 years. I run the project Counting Dead Women commemorating women killed by men in the UK and I am co-founder of the Femicide Census in partnership with Women’s Aid.

We’ve heard from women who have told us they have spoken to specialist women’s organisations. I haven’t just spoken to such an organisation – I run one.[1]

I oppose this motion.

Self –declaration would mean that any man who says he is a woman would be able to access specialist services for women subjected to men’s violence.

Self-declaration creates an environment that is hostile to specialist single-sex services and one in which women cannot set our own boundaries.

Some say we can use risk assessments to assess whether a male who says he is trans poses a risk to women.

When a risk assessment is completed with a woman looking to move in to a refuge, time is critical, you need to get her to a place of safety and quickly. You’re assessing the risk she is facing from her partner, whether the location of the refuge offers safety and whether she herself would pose a risk to others living in the refuge. Not whether or not she is actually a violent male.

Another way we mitigate against risk is by providing a woman-only space.  

At least 80%  of males who identify as trans retain a penis. Do adult penises belong on women’s refuges and Rape Crisis centres? Many of the women and children we work with are terrified of males. They need and deserve a break.

There is a no credible evidence suggesting that males who identify as trans commit violence against women at lower rates than those who do not.  Gender Recognition Certificates do not reduce men’s violence.

A women-only space is also one of the ways that we create a sense of sanctuary for women.   Women say that they want women-only services for “safety, empathy, trust, support, they’re less intimidating and focus on women’s needs”.  Women tell us time and time again that being with women who have had similar experiences is a vital part of accepting that they are not to blame.

Some say that men will not go so far as to lie about being trans in order to access vulnerable women. Anyone who believes this has not spent much time with abusive men and has little idea of the lengths that some are prepared to go to.

Darren Sykes, killed his 9 and 12 year old sons Paul and Jack by luring them in to an attic with the promise of a new train set – before he locked them in and turned the house into an inferno. His intention – lifelong mental torture of Claire Throssell, his ex-wife, mother of the two now-dead two boys. I know this is an extreme example, but it is one example of a countless number and it is illustrative of the lengths that some men are prepared to take.

Violent men lie. Violent men are prepared to stand in court in a witness box and lie. Of 37 men who pleaded not guilty to murdering women in 2016, only 1 was actually found not guilty of all charges.

We are told that trans people are disproportionately victims of violence. In the last decade, in the UK, there have been 7 homicides of trans people – all biologically male;  on the other hand, trans people – all of these biologically male –  have killed 12, 4 of their victims were women.  And in the same period, men have killed at least 1,364 women.

This is not about lack of compassion with trans people; it is not denying them human rights, privacy and dignity. Of course not. It is about recognising that women have sex-based rights and protections for a reason.

How am I – a provider of women’s services – supposed to differentiate between a man who says he is a woman and a man who contemplates assaulting, raping or killing a woman?

Men have already killed 93 UK women this year.  Many thousands have been raped. Do not play Russian roulette with the lives of women who have already suffered men’s violence.

[1] Most definitely not on my own!

If you’re interested in finding out more about the Gender Recognition Act and implications for women, please check out Woman’s Place UK  and Fair Play for Women. I’ll be speaking in Leeds on 28 September on this issue with Nic Williams from Fair Play and Stephanie Davies-Arai from TransgenderTrend.

I am hosting this heartbreaking piece by Pauline Tio.  Karen 

Georgina Kathleen Drinkwater (fondly as Georgy to Relatives & Family friends)

This is my (Pauline Tio’s) first public statement since the death of my only child & daughter, Georgina Drinkwater (aged 30) and her unborn son on 23 February 2014. Georgy was my beautiful daughter, the only love of my life. The loss of Georgina has been and continues to be totally devastating for family both in the UK & abroad. Her life was extinguished by a manipulative, abusive bully and coward. Today I want to set the record straight. This statement is her voice through me.

We know that for 18 months, Georgina suffered trauma, pain, mental, emotional, physical and financial abuse at the hands of her 2nd child’s father. To compound our loss and grief, immediately after her passing, certain individuals linked to the person responsible for her death fraudulently introduced themselves to the authorities as Georgina’s sister & circulated misinformation. The choice of babysitter on the night of her tragic death was not chosen by Georgina, but by the father of her second child. Contrary to media reports, she was not Georgina’s best friend. In last 12 months of her life, she was purposely isolated and surrounded by him and his friends. Only her trusted friends were introduced to her relatives/maternal family circle and they were at the funeral. The Authorities failed to check any of this with us, her mother & family to corroborate this misinformation & misrepresentation. As her mother, I know Georgina would have been appalled by the total lack of respect and decency, towards her grieving family & close friends who have (and are still) trying to mourn and come to terms with the pain and distress caused by her tragic death.

The Police & Social Services have failed in their dealings with my daughter especially during the homicide investigation into her death. They made a series of unfounded assumptions and judgements because they failed to understand the dynamics of domestic abuse and the different strategies used by perpetrators to control, manipulate and inflict violence on women, in this case it was my daughter. Despite a history of incidents involving physical, verbal and emotional abuse which were known to the Police and Social Services – there was a failure to conduct a full risk assessment of Georgy’s vulnerability as a young pregnant mother – as a victim of violence.

12 months’ prior her death, I told close friends that he is going to end up killing her as his power & control had increased and there was an escalation in the frequency in which he inflicted his rage and abuse on my daughter. For the first time in her life, as a consequence of this 18-­month relationship, we saw Georgina change dramatically. She was ashamed, embarrassed, and fearful of his verbal abuse and his constant putting her down robbed of her self confidence & self esteem. Georgina didn’t want to live with the violence anymore. Prior to her death, Georgina told me that she was attempting to make plans to move back to West Hampstead where her family and friends who grew up with her are located, and to get away from him. Unfortunately, she never made it. It was too late. Georgina underestimated the danger to her life and the escalation & severity of his cruelty & abuse upon her.

I made a vow to my daughter that I will have it on true record in respect to her suffering of abuse perpetrated upon her by the man, who has since walked away from being held accountable for her death. Yet, the Case Investigation Officer failed to have a one to one conversation with us about Georgina as a person, a daughter, a mother and to get an insight about Georgina’s life. As the investigation progressed, we have witnessed a catalogue of errors including breach of confidentiality, lack of professionalism, withholding of information despite continuous requests, speaking to wrong witnesses, pages missing from witness statements, delaying & obstructive tactics used to prevent her family from disclosures especially the Homicide Investigation Report. Despite his admission of holding her in the flat against her will, he is not being charged with false imprisonment. How can we call this an investigation when her family and close friends who truly knew and loved her for 30 years were never spoken to? The criminal justice system has failed her miserably before and after her death allowing the person responsible for her death to walk free without being held accountable, not because he is innocent but because CPS considered that there is insufficient evidence to proceed.

We want to know from Met Police the reasons: are their actions to cover for the mishandling of the murder investigation or to protect the man responsible or both? Whilst it will never change the fact that he inflicted violence, mental & emotional abuse on her that finally led to her death. I made a vow to my daughter that I will have the truth on record about the violence she suffered by the man, who has since walked away from being held accountable for her death.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the nurse & 2 friends travelling in a taxi that night who stopped to help, the 2 taxi-­drivers, London Ambulance Service, Air Ambulance and the 2 neighbours who rushed from the building to try and save my daughter and her unborn son. I would like to thank all my relatives (in UK & abroad), extended families, all close family friends & health professionals for their amazing support, help, empathy, patience, love and kindness in caring & looking after me since 23 February 2014.

I would want to give final appreciation and gratitude towards my solicitor, Bharine Kalsi and the Barrister Jake Taylor who came to my aid in my hour of need to try and seek the truth about the circumstances surrounding my daughter’s death. Thank you for your incredible help, guidance and advocacy.

Georgina was a beautiful, intelligent, articulate, funny, kind, independent, loving daughter, mother, niece, cousin, friend and woman. She is greatly missed by her loved ones. For myself, her mother I think of her each second of each day with each breath I take. Georgy was the love of my life and always will be.

In 2016, at least 125 UK women killed by men, or where a man is the principal suspect. 125 women in 365 days is one woman dead every 2.92 days.

1. 7 January 2016: Katrina O’Hara, 44, was stabbed to death by her ex-partner, Stuart Thomas, 49.
2. 13 January 2016: Georgina Symonds, 25, was strangled with a rope/ligature by Peter Morgan, 53.
3. 23 January 2016: Lisa Lyttle, 49, was strangled to death with a mobile phone charger. Her husband, Warren Lyttle, 50, has been charged with her murder.
4. 29 January 2016: Andrea Lewis, 51, died suffering a fractured skull, broken ribs and 41 separate areas of bruising, inflicted by Rhys Hobbs 43.
5. 30 January 2016: India Chipchase, 20, was found dead after having been declared missing. Edward Tenniswood, 51, has been convicted of her murder and rape. She died as a result of ‘blunt force trauma’ and ‘pressure on the neck’, 33 separate injuries were found on her body including haemorrhaging across her face, consistent with having been strangled.
6. 31 January 2016: Guida Rufino, 38, was found dead with neck injuries. Her partner Anthony Roberts, is suspected of killing her before killing himself.
7. 31 January 2016: Elidona Demiraj, 25, was stabbed/slashed in the throat. Arben Rexha, 31, has been charged with her murder.
8. 2 February 2016: Geraldine Newman, 51, was killed by head injuries, her two children, Shannon, 12, and Shane, 6, were also stabbed to death. Her husband, and the father of the two children Paul Newman, 42, killed himself after killing his family.
9. 3 February 2016: Bethany Hill, 20, was killed by a blade wound to the neck. Jack Williams, 21,  and Kayleigh Woods, 23, are on trial for her murder.
10. 4 February 2016: Caroline Andrews, 52, was strangled to death by her husband, Stuart Andrews, 54.
11. 6 February 2016: Sheila Jefferson, 73, and her husband Dennis, Jefferson, were killed due to head and neck injuries before their home was set on fire. Norman Williams, 70, who was Sheila Jefferson’s brother-in-law, was suspected of killing them and died of injuries sustained in the fire.
12. 7 February 2016: Maylyn Couperthwaite, 52, was stabbed to death by her neighbour Oliver Faughey, 62. Her mother, Audrey Couperthwaite, who was also hurt in the attack said her had subjected them to a campaign of harassment for 6-years
13. 8 February 2016: Kerry Gascoigne, 43, died of “pressure to the neck”. Her partner, Stephen Fretwell, 44, has been charged with her murder.
14. 12 February 2016: Leanne Wall, 36, was head-butted them strangled. Her (ex) partner, William Mack, 39, has been charged with her murder.
15. 12 February 2016: Jessica McGraa, 37, was found dead. Bala Chinda, 25, was charged with her murder.
16. 13 February 2016: Maria Byrne, 35, was found dead. Her husband, Darren Byrne, has been charged with her murder.
17. 21 February 2016: Lisa Reynolds, 31, was killed by multiple stab wounds. Her partner, Barry Knapper, 31, has been charged with her murder.
18. 22 February 2016: Natasha Bradbury, 28, was found dead. Luke Jones, 33, has been charged with her murder.
19. 26 February 2016: Julie Hill, 51, was found dead alongside her mother, Rose Hill, 75. Christopher Whelan, 20, has been charged with their murders.
20. 26 February 2016: Rose Hill, 75, was found dead alongside her daughter, Julie Hill, 51. Christopher Whelan, 20, has been charged with their murders.
21. 26 February 2016: Christine James, 65, was murdered by Kris Wade, 36, who slit her throat in a sexually motivated attack. He had been sacked from previous jobs due to reports of him carrying out sexual assaults but police action had not been taken.
22. 29 February 2016: Julie Archer, 49, died a number of days after being doused with petrol and set alight. Her brother, Stephen Archer, 50, has been charged with her murder.
23. 2 March 2016: Dawn Green, 69, was found dead along with her husband Malcolm Green, 70. Police said they were treating her death as suspicious but were not looking for anyone else in relation to the deaths.
24. 3 March 2016: Gemma Stevens, 32, was found dead in a house fire in the early hours of the morning. Gary Tyson, 35, has been charged with her murder, arson and attempted wounding. He had also been accused of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to her on February 26.
25. 11 March 2016: Lyndsay Smith, 42, was stabbed to death. Gavin Wilson, 41, of the same address, was charged with her murder.
26. 14 March 2016: Robyn Mercer, 50, was found dead outside her home. Her head had been beaten so severely the police who found her ‘thought she had been shot’.
27. 16 March 216: Elizabeth Hudson, 81, was picked up and thrown to the floor by Michael Williams, who lived in the same retirement home. She died of a bleed to the brain and also suffered a fractured hip.
28. 16 March 2016: Gina Lander, 46, was reported missing by her partner David Stokes, 39. He fell to his death 5 weeks later. Police discovered search histories for 1000 litre plastic barrels, large water heaters, cable pulling systems, industrial air fresheners, mechanical grinders, meat tendering powder, concentrated chemicals and one search for the ‘best way to clean bones’. Human remains were discovered in drains at their home. Police believw Stokes killed Gina.
29. 19 March 2016: Paige Doherty, 15, was killed through stab wounds to her neck. John Leathem, 31, has been charged with her murder.
30. 21 March 2015: Carrie Ann Izzard, 47, was stabbed to death. She had split up with her boyfriend, Gerry Palmer, 50, only days before. He has been charged with her murder.
31. 23 March 2016: Lynne Freeman, 46, was stabbed to death by her partner Alan Bennett, 34, he also murdered his ex-partner Jodie Betteridge, 30.
32. 23 March 2016: Jodie Betteridge, 30, was stabbed to death by her ex-partner Alan Bennett, 34, who also murdered his partner, Lynne Freeman, 46.
33. 23 March 2016: Joanna Trojniak, 29, was stabbed in the chest. Her partner, Pawel Sroka, 33, has been charged with her murder.
34. 24 March 2016: Amina Begum, 47, was found outside her home with multiple stab wounds. Her son, Javid Ahmed, has been charged with her murder.
35. 29 March 2016: Natasha Sadler, 40, was stabbed. Foster Christian, 53, has been charged with her murder and that of Simon Gorecki, 47, as well as two counts of GBH.
36. 30 March – 3 April 2016: Laura Marshall, 31, was found dead on 4^th Her partner, Gary O’Dowd had a long history of subjecting her to abuse and had threatened to kill her. He is currently on bail.
37. 31 March 2016: Elizabeth MacKay, 60, was killed in what has been described by police as a “sustained and brutal assault”. Michael Taylor, 70, has been charged with her murder.
38. 2 April 2016: Marie Johnston, 44, was found dead. Matthew Dean, 34, has been charged with wounding with intent and sexual assault.
39. 2 April 2016: Norma Bell, 79, was found dead after a fire at her home, she had been killed before the fire started. Gareth Dack, 32, has been charged with her murder.
40. 10 April 2016: Tracy Cockrell, 51, who had moved to a new area was found dead alongside Nigel McGrath. Police said that they were treating Tracy’s death as murder and were not looking for anyone else.
41. 11 April 2016: Helen Bailey, 51, was last seen alive. Her body was found three months later in a sceptic tank in the grounds of her home. Her partner Ian Stewart, who had reported her missing, has been charged with her murder and perverting the course of justice.
42. 12 April 2016: Leigh-Ann Mahachi, 22, was killed with multiple stab wounds. Tapiwa Furusa, 37, has been charged with her murder.
43. 13 April 2016: Jean Ryan, 67, was stabbed to death. Her husband, Shaun Ryan, 61, has been charged with her murder.
44. 17 April 2016: Coleen Westlake, 48, died of blunt force trauma and strangulation. Craig Bird, 31, has been charged with her murder.
45. 18 April 2016: Nasreen Khan, 39, was killed with multiple stab wounds inflicted by her husband Imran Khan, 39.
46. 24 April  2016: Laraine Rayner, 53, was killed by a stab wound to the neck.  Steven Stocks, 43, has been charged with her murder.
47. 24 April 24: Faye Daniels, 30, was killed by multiple stab wounds. Phillip Barlow, 36, was charged with her murder.
48. 26 April 2016: Xin Xin Liu, 39, was stabbed to death. Her husband Robert Kerr, 38, has been charged with her murder.
49. 28 April 2016: Louise O’Brien, 36, was found dead and wrapped up in a carpet after having been strangled between 24 and 28 April. Her partner, David Anderson, 41, has been charged with her murder.
50. 1 May 2016: Natalie Hemming, 31, was last seen. Her family reported her missing on 3 May. Her husband Paul Hemming, 42, was arrested on 4 May and later charged with her murder. Her body was found on 22 May.
51. 1 May 2016: Becky Morgan, 17, was pulled dead from the sea. Michael Bowditch, 21, was found guilty of manslaughter for not helping her or summoning help as she drowned.
52. 3 May 2016: Iris Owens, 75, was found dead. Her son, Robert Owens, 47, has been charged with her murder.
53. 4 May 2016: Julie Cook, 44, died in hospital a day after sustaining a head injury. Daniel Bragg, 36, has been charged with manslaughter.
54. 7 May 2016: Khabi Abrey, 30, was killed as a result of a fire in the flats where she liked. Lillo Toisi, 47, has been charged with her murder, plus arson with intent to endanger life, and arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.
55. 8 May 2016: Anne-Marie Nield, 44, was found dead with multiple injuries. Richard Howarth, 41, has been charged with her murder.
56. 19 May 2016: Maria Mbombo, 46, was stabbed to death. Her husband Jose Leonardo, also known as Jeff Mbombo, has been charged with her murder.
57. 20 May2016: Marina Erte, 33, was found dead. Her ex-husband, Gytis Griskevicius, 32, has been charged with murder.
58. 21 May 2016: Sonita Nijhawan, 38 was stabbed 124 times with an axe and a knife by her husband Sanjay Nijhawan, 38. He was found guilty of manslaughter.
59. 2 June 2016: Dawn Rhodes, 38, was found dead. Her husband, Robert Rhodes, 42, was charged with her murder and was found not guilty after claiming he had been acting in self defence, despite the prosecutors belief that Dawn had been attacked from behind.
60. 3 June 2016: Sylvia Stewart, 69, and her husband Peter Stewart,73 were reported missing. Peter Stewart was later found stabbed to death. Ali Qazimaj, 42, fled the country and was arrested in Luxemburg in relation to the Stuarts’ death. Police have indicated that they have no expectation of finding Sylvia Stewart alive.
61. 9 June 2016: Andrena Douglas, 53, was found dead when police went to her home to inform her that her partner, Henry Galbraith, 50, had been found badly injured in a caravan fire. Her death is being treated as murder. Police are said to be ‘not looking for anyone else’.
62. 13 June 2016: Karen Hales, 53, and her daughter Jade Hales, 28, were killed by blunt force trauma injuries to the head. Anthony Showers, 42, has been charged with their murders.
63. 13 June 2016: Jade Hales, 28, and her mother Karen Hales, 53, were killed by blunt force trauma injuries to the head. Anthony Showers, 42, has been charged with their murders.
64. 16 June 2016: Jo Cox, 38, Labour MP, was shot and stabbed multiple times following a constituency meeting. Thomas Mair, 52, has been charged in relation to her death.
65. 20 June 2016: Helen Fraser, 50, was stabbed to death. Her partner Stephen Bernard, 50, was also found dead with a self-inflicted stab wound. Police are not looking for anyone else.
66. 20^th June 2016: Jean Irwin, 83, was strangled to death. Her husband John Irwin, 77, was found hanged. Police are treating Jean’s death as murder and are not looking for anyone else in relations to the crime.
67. 21 June 2016: Nijole Sventeckiene was stabbed to death by her partner  Vaclovas Liubavicius, 61.
68. 23 June 2016: Agnieszka Szmura, 30, was stabbed to death. Toryino Williams, 22, has been charged with her murder.
69. 23 June 2016: Sarah Nash, 37, was strangled and beaten by her partner Lee Guntrip, 25. He had  attended a Building Better Relations Programme and a Domestic Abuse Programme after pleading guilty to charges of actual bodily harm and assault by beating. Guntrip also killed himself.
70. 6 July 2016: Albertina Choules, 81, died of a head injury before her body was set alight. Tautuydas Narbutas, 23, has been charged with her murder.
71. 12 July 2016: Allison Muncaster, 48, was shot dead. Her husband Stephen Muncaster, 47, is believed to have killed her then shot himself dead.
72. 15 July 2016: Fiona Southwell, 60, was found dead. Daniel Edwards, 21, has been charged with her murder.
73. 18 July 2016: Aimee Spencer, 27, died of her injuries after having been reported pushed/thrown to her death.
74. 18 July 2016: Emma Baum, 22, died from severe head injuries after a “sustained attack”. David Davies, 25, has been charged with her murder.
75. 18 July 2016: Claire Hart, 50, was shot dead, alongside her daughter Charlotte Hart, 19, by her husband Lance Hart,57, who then shot himself dead.
76. 18 July 2016: Charlotte Hart, 19, as shot dead, alongside her mother Claire Hart, 50, by her father Lance Hart,57, who then shot himself dead.
77. 19 July 2016: Tracy Gabriel, 40, was stabbed to death. Her ex-partner, Hugh Gallacher, 57, is thought to have killed her and a friend, before jumping to his death.
78. 20 July 2016: Samia Shahid, 28, is believed to have been raped by her ex-husband Choudhry Shakeel and then strangled by Shakeel and her father Mohammed Shahid.
79. 22 July 2016: Nicola Haworth, 33, was strangled to death. Gary Fletcher, 34, has been charged with her murder.
80. 19-22 July 2016: Lenuta Haidemac, 28, was found dead. Casey Scott, 28, has been charged with her murder.
81. 24 July 2016: Hannah Pearson, 16, was pronounced dead shortly after having been taken to hospital by emergency services. James Morton, 23, has been charged with her murder.
82. 28 July 2016: Margaret Mayer, 85, was found dead after her husband Angus Mayer, had tried to throw himself under a train. He was later arrested and detained in relation to her death.
83. 3 August 2016: Darlene Horton, 64, an American tourist visiting London, was stabbed to death by Zakaria Bulhan, 19.
84. 4 August 2016: Gregana Prodanova, 38, was last seen alive. She was reported missing on 8^th August and ‘human remains’ now confirmed to be hers, were found on 16 August. Her ex-partner Kostadin Kostov, 42, has been charged with her murder.
85. 4 August 2016: Lynne Braund, 54, died of critical injuries after being taken to hospital with severe burns. Raymond O’Connell, 63, has been charged with her murder.
86. 12 August 2016: Donna Williamson, 44, was stabbed to death. Her partner, Kevin O’Regan, 37, has been charged with her murder.
87. 19 August 2016: Xixi Bi, 24, was found dead after being reported to police as ‘experiencing breathing difficulties’. Her boyfriend Jordan Matthews, 23, has been charged with her murder.
88. 22 August 2016: Sophie Taylor, 22, was killed in a car crash as she was pursued by Michael Wheeler, 23 and Melissa Pesticcio.
89. 22 August 2016: Jean Constant, 87, was suffocated with a plastic bag. Her husband Michael Constant, 86, has been charged with her murder.
90. 23 August 2016: Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, was stabbed to death whilst backpacking in Australia. Smail Ayad, 29, has been charged with her murder and that of Tom Jackson, 30, who died of injuries sustained when trying to save her.
91. 25 August 2016: Shana Grice, 18, was found dead at home after failing to arrive at work. Michael Lane, 27, has been charged with her murder.
92. 13 September 2016: Alison Farr-Davies, 42, was found dead. Dean Jones, 37, has been charged with her murder.
93. 15 September 2016: Melinda Korosi, 33, died of her injuries shortly after police were called to her home. Miklos Verebes, 29, has been charged with her murder in  what was described by police as a ‘domestic related’ incident.
94. 16 September 2016: Hayley Dean, 38, was killed through blunt force trauma injury to her head. James D’Arcy, 50, has been charged with her murder.
95. 17 September 2016: Annie Besala Ekofo, 53, and her nephew Bervil Ekofo, 21, were shot dead. Obina Ezeoke, 24, has been charged with their murders.
96. 19 September 2016: Zofia Sadowska, 20, was found dead. Ashan Hassan, 28, has been charged with her murder.
97. 20 September 2016: Elizabeth Bowe, 50, died three days after been found badly assaulted. Her brother, Charles Gordon, 52, has been charged with her murder and rape.
98. 24 September 2016L Nasreem Buksh, 43, is believed to have been killed through a head injury. A 54-year-old man, believed to be her husband Asghar Buksh, is being held in custody in relation to her death.
99. 28 September 2016: Zoe Morgan, 21, and Lee Simmons, 33, were stabbed to death. Andrew Saunders, 20, has been charged with their murders.
100. 2 October 2016: Jackie Pattenden, 53, was stabbed in the chest. Her partner Michael Rough, 55, has been charged with her murder.
101. 2 October 2016: Natasha Wake, 26, was stabbed to death. Jay Nava, 26, with who she had recently ended a relationship, has been charged with her murder.
102. 6 October 2016: Mandy Gallear, 42, was stabbed to death. Her husband Stuart Gallear, 41, has been charged with her murder.
103. 8 October 2016: Lucy Jones, 35, suffered multiple injuries in a prolonged attack. Liam Fletcher, 29, has been charged with her murder.
104. 9 October 2016: Vicky Bance, 37, died in hospital after being stabbed multiple times. Robert Bamce, 53, has been charged with her murder.
105. 12 October 2016: Alice Ruggles, 24, was found at home with serious injuries and declared dead on the scene. Trimaan Dhillon,27, has been charged with her murder.
106. 14 October 2016: Sophie Smith, 17, was subjected to a sustained attack and died of her injuries. Her partner Morgan Banks, 18, has been charged with her murder.
107. 17 October 2016: Jodie Wilkinson, 27, was stabbed to death. David Waterston has been charged with her murder.
108. 17 October 2016: Pardeep Kaur, 30, was reported missing. Her body was found 5 days later. It is believed that she was attacked as she walked home from work. Vadims Ruskuls, 24, has been charged with her murder.
109. 29 October 2016: Ellia Arathoun, 29, was last seen alive. Her remains were found on 3 October. Andrew Proctor, 39, has been charged with her murder.
110. 15 November 2016: Belen Tripp, 52, was stabbed to death. Her husband Peter Tripp, 70, has been charged with her murder.
111. 20 November 2016: Natasha Wild, 23, was stabbed to death. A 31-year-old man was being held in police custody.
112. 22 November 2016: Deeqa Ibrahim, 41, was stabbed to death. Bashir Ali,  41, said to be known to her,  has been charged with her murder.
113. 23 November 2016: Lisa Skidmore, 37, was found dead after a fire in her home. Her post-mortem found she had been strangled before the fire started. Her 80-year-old mother told police she had  disturbed an intruder who had then assaulted her.  Police are looking for a man in his 20s.
114. 23 November 2016: Asia Tufail, 32, was smothered by her husband Muhammad Malik, 36.
115. 3 December 2016: Rebecca Johnson, 26, was stabbed to death. Her boyfriend Radec Kovac, 36, has been charged with her murder.
116. 8 December 2016: Linda Ordinans, 61, was found dead at home after being alerted by her husband Nigel Ordinans, 63, who told them that he had killed her. He killed himself shortly afterwards.
117. 8 December 2016: Holly Alexander, 37, was stabbed to death along with Ronnie Kidd, 40. Krzysztof Gadecki, 37, has been charged with their murders.
118. 10 December 2016: Andraya Webb, 39, was killed in a house fire that had been deliberately started. Anthony Porter, 32, has been charged with her murder.
119. 12 December 2016: Umida Eshboboeva, 29, died after a suspected assault in her home. Adkhamjon Tovasharov, 34, has been charged with her murder.
120. 15 December 2016: Angela Best, 51, was found unresponsive after a call to police and medics and was later declared dead. A man who was taken to hospital is being treated as a suspect.
121. 16 December 2016: Clare Paton/Nagle, 38, was killed through ‘pressure on the neck’. Her husband, Vincent Nagle, 44, who died shortly afterwards in a car crash, is suspected to have killed her.
122. 18 December 2016: Natalie Connolly, 26, suffered blunt force injuries to her head and chest allegedly inflicted by her partner John Broadhurst, 40.
123. 22 December 2016: Hayley Wall, 25, died 9 days after being assaulted.  Christoper Wall, 58, has been charged with her murder.
124. 22 December 2016: Tracy McPartland, 44, died at home after having been assaulted some days earlier. She suffered 29 rib fractures, bruising to her back and extensive facial bruising.  Her son, Alexander McPartland, 23, has been charged with her murder.
125. 26 December 2016: Nicola Woodman, 39, was stabbed to death. James Hutchinson, 42, has been charged with her murder.

Awaiting information regarding the deaths of an as-yet-unnamed woman from West Bridgford, Nottingham, Sandra Gill, Michelle Wright,  Debbie Wilkinson, Linda Harding and Stacey Tierney. Any updates on these women or others missing from the list gratefully received.