Violence against Women and Girls Crime report contents

Domestic homicide:
A man was found guilty of murdering his ex-partner who had ended her relationship
with him and was expecting a baby with her new partner. He was jailed for life with a
minimum tariff of at least 18 years.
A man was found guilty of murdering his 47-year old partner. Her body was found by
a co-worker in her office and, following a detailed investigation, the police were able
to track her partner’s movements and identify him as being in her company.
Following an argument, the offender attacked her with such force that she died from
her injuries. Rather than calling the emergency services, the offender fled the scene.
He was sentenced to serve a minimum of 17 years.
Out of court disposals
A Revised Out-Of-Court Disposal (OOCD) Framework pilot began in November 2014 led by the MoJ in
three police force Areas – Leicestershire, Staffordshire and West Yorkshire. The pilot was scheduled
to last 12 months to deal with offences currently suitable for OOCD. In addition, the three forces
were permitted to take a different approach to tackling offences involving DA and hate crime. For the
duration of the pilot, positive action was recommended in cases of DA to ensure the safety and
protection of victims and children however the three forces were granted an exemption to the DPP’s
guidance on conditional cautions which allowed them to use this disposal in place of a simple
caution, when it was an appropriate course of action.
The pilots concluded on 31 October 2015. The findings are being analysed by MoJ and partners to
give consideration to rolling out the scheme nationally.
Restorative justice
The MoJ is leading discussions across the CJS on the use of restorative justice (RJ) in DA cases. The
aim is to create a cross-government position paper which will outline the criteria for any potential
use, including safety issues and risk assessments. A Justice Select Committee was held in 2016 on RJ
and their findings will be considered, following publication.
Local partnership working
A number of local initiatives have been identified as good practice throughout 2015-16, for example:
CPS Direct 79 set up a local DA panel to review the work of duty prosecutors;
CPS Wales delivered training on the offence of controlling or coercive behaviour, in
partnership with police colleagues, to help ensure a joined-up approach; and
79 CPS Direct provides charging decisions to all police forces and other investigators across England and Wales.
They operate twenty-four hours, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
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