Half of all British women murdered by men 'killed by partners'

Of 694 women killed by men over four years, 46 per cent were killed by a partner or ex-partner

One in four women and one in six men experience domestic violence at some point (Rex)

Nearly half of all British women murdered by men died at the hands of a partner or ex-partner, a new study has revealed.

Some 694 women were killed by men over a period of four years, and of those, 46 per cent were killed by someone they had had a romantic relationship with.

Over the same period of four years, six per cent were killed by their son and three per cent by their extended family. The same number were killed during a burglary, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The data came from the 'Femicide Census', which uses data from the Government Census to profile women killed by men.

It found that the most commonly used weapon in the murder of a woman by a current or previous romantic partner was a knife or sharp instrument.

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The second most common method, used by 22 per cent of male killers, was strangulation or asphyxiation; and blunt instruments were used in nine per cent of murders. Guns were used in four percent of women's deaths.

“On average two women per week are killed by a partner or ex-partner [in the UK]," Polly Neate, chief executive of Women’s Aid, told the Telegraph.

“We need to know what happened to these women before their deaths - for example if there were previous reports of domestic violence, if they have had previous contact with the police or other agencies, but the warning signs were not picked up on.

“We are launching the Femicide Census to identify common themes so that we can learn from them, and so that we can reduce deaths by working with all relevant agencies and professionals to better protect women.”