The history of violence in more than half of men who killed women in Britain

'For every woman killed there are thousands of women living in violent, controlling and abusive relationships,' expert tells Maya Oppenheim

The latest Femicide Census revealed 149 women were killed by 147 men in the UK in 2018 – with almost two thirds of the victims killed by their current or ex-partner (Nia / Karen Ingala Smith)

More than half of the female victims of killings in 2018 were attacked by men with a history of violence towards women, a chilling report has found.

The latest Femicide Census revealed 149 women were killed by 147 men in the UK in 2018 – with almost two thirds of the victims killed by their current or ex-partner.

Frontline service providers raised concerns about the latest figures and argued government cuts to domestic abuse services are putting women’s lives at risk.

The annual study, which started in 2009, tracks the numbers of women killed by men to show the killings are not isolated incidents.

This year's census found over two thirds of the killings occurred in the house of the now-deceased woman, while three of all of the overall male perpetrators had previously killed a woman.

Karen Ingala Smith, chief executive of Nia, the charity behind the census which delivers services for women and children who have experienced male violence, said: “There is a high degree of normalisation of men’s violence against women and no end of excuses or rationales assumed and extended to perpetrators often without foundation.

“Many men are known to be dangerous to women but we don’t seem to be turning this knowledge into ways to save women’s lives. For every woman killed there are thousands of women living in violent, controlling and abusive relationships.

“The closure and under-resourcing of specialist women-only services and refuges and of public services means that even where women may want to leave, they may struggle to find the help, support and safety they need and to which they are entitled. We know how violence against women works, we know what sorts of interventions and support women need.”

Ms Ingala Smith, the co-founder of the Femicide Census, said it is important to commemorate the “names and lives” of women killed but it is nevertheless “galling” being forced to document a “catalogue of violence and abuse” every year.

She said recommendations to address the issue are made each year but they go “unheeded” and called for perpetrators to be properly held to account and women to be “believed, respected and valued”.

The “received wisdom” women being abused by their partner should simply just leave also needs to be questioned, Ms Ingala Smith added.

Nearly half of women killed by a partner or an ex in the census had either separated from him or taken measures to do so – with almost three quarters of the women killed in the first year after they escaped.

Just over half of cases where women were killed by men involved “excessive violence”, greater force than that required to kill the victim and what the researchers refer to as “overkilling”.

Researchers drew attention to the fact press coverage of such cases often brands them as being “frenzied” and stemming from “a loss of control” but the report argues the killing of women is instead “the act of ultimate control”.

Sandra Horley, chief executive of Refuge, the UK’s largest provider of shelters for domestic abuse victims, said: “This data shows the shocking reality of the sheer scale of violence against women and girls. It is horrific that women continue to be killed at such a rate by violent men.

"We know that leaving an abusive man is complex and often dangerous. At the very core of our work is ensuring that women fleeing abuse have a safe place to go and the right support to help rebuild their lives. Austerity cuts have meant specialist services being cut to the bone and urgently in need a long-term funding solution to prevent them from being forced to close."

The census comes after figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released last week showed the number of female victims of overall homicides in England and Wales rose by 10 per cent in the year up to March 2019 – the highest number for 13 years.