Nearly half of all resolved homicides of women in the State were committed by their partners or ex-partners, a seminar on domestic violence was told yesterday.
Stephanie Holt, Children's Research Centre, Trinity College Dublin, spoke on the issue of Murder - The Ultimate cost of Domestic Violence and based her figures on female homicides since 1995.
She told a seminar in Dún Laoghaire organised by the Southside Addressing Violence Effectively (Save) forum, that nearly 50 per cent of all resolved cases of female homicide were committed by the husband, ex-husband, partner or ex-partner. This involved cases where the perpetrator had been charged and found guilty or where he had committed suicide following homicide.
From 1995 to date there had been 124 female homicides, of which 92 were resolved, 20 unresolved and no charges brought, and 12 awaiting trial. Of the resolved cases, 43 were committed by a male partner or ex-partner, she said.
Ms Holt said there had been a decline in intimate male murders committed by a female partner or ex-partner versus an increase in intimate female murders.
More severe violence disproportionately affected more women and domestic violence was the strongest and most consistent risk factor for intimate partner homicide, she said.
Another speaker, Don Hennessy, director of the National Domestic Violence Intervention Agency, said domestic violence offenders had been allowed to repeat their crime because of the shortcomings of some professionals such as doctors, dentists, social workers, solicitors, judges, gardaí and support agencies.