More than half of men who commit femicide have histories of violence against women, figures show

The UK Femicide Census released on Thursday reveals that seven women in Yorkshire were killed by men in 2018, out of 149 women nationwide who were killed by 147 men.

More than half (52 per cent) on men who committed femicide that year had histories of violence against women.

Three of the 147 men had killed a woman before.

Some 91 women (61 per cent) were killed by a current or previous partner.

Of the seven women killed by men in Yorkshire in 2018 alone, four were in the West Yorkshire Police district.

Poppy Devey-Waterhouse, 24, was killed by former partner Joe Atkinson in the flat they were still sharing in Leeds in December 2018.

Atkinson was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 15 years in April 2015 for the murder.

Diane Jones, 62, of Castleford, 55-year-old Angela Conoby of Leeds and Sheila Small, 73, from Bradford, were also killed by partners, or in Mrs Jones' case, her son.

In South Yorkshire, two women were killed. However, in one of the cases a man has been charged with murder and the case remains active.

Angela Rider, 51, was found dead at her home near Selby in March 2018 after being strangled by her ex-husband Adrian Rodi.

The Femicide Census is compiled each year by Karen Ingala-Smith and Clarrie O'Callaghan, both originally from Yorkshire.

Ms Ingala-Smith, from Huddersfield, said the numbers showed women's attempts to reach out for help were being too often ignored.

“In 52 per cent of femicides in 2018," she said, "there was evidence of some sort, often from things victims had said to friends or families even if not actually in reports to police, to suggest a previous history of his violence and controlling behaviour towards her.

"In too many cases there was also evidence of his having a history of violence towards other women with three perpetrators having even previously killed another woman.

"Women are reaching out for help and 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."

Ms Ingala-Smith continued: “It is important to honour the names and lives of the women killed but it is galling to have to report such a catalogue of violence and abuse year after year.

"Every year we make recommendations and every Domestic Homicide Review points out lessons to be learned - yet they seem to go unheeded.”

A spokeswoman for Leeds Women's Aid said: "These figures show categorically that when women are killed it is mainly by men, and that although domestic violence can be experienced by anyone, women are the most at risk of being killed by their male partner or ex-partner.

"If the such numbers of women killed happened in any other circumstances there would be a national outcry.

"It is well known that more women in our country are killed by men they know than acts of terrorism."