Over half of NI women murdered since 2020 were strangled before their death

A new study by The Queen’s University Belfast found that 55% of murdered women were previously strangled by the man who killed them.

Women who experience non-fatal strangulation are 750%, almost eight times, more likely to be killed later by the same man.

The killer is believed to have strangled the woman on a previous occasion or during the attack that ended her life in 55% of cases.

The study found the abuse is often downplayed as ‘choking’, but that strangulation can cause serious lasting harm whether or not the person loses consciousness or is left with any visible marks.

Non-fatal strangulation is a standalone criminal offence in Northern Ireland since June 2023. Since NFS has become a standalone crime, there have been 2,300 arrests and 250 convictions in Northern Ireland.

Meanehile, over a third of 16–34 year olds report having been strangled/choked at least once during sex.

The research also notes that non-fatal strangulation “should not be treated as a one-time assault, but rather a practice homicide”, and that even a single incident is “a clear indicator of future, escalated and lethal violence”.

Dr Aishling McMorrow, who oversaw the research at Queen’s, said: “If a woman experiences non-fatal strangulation, she is 750% more likely to be murdered by that person at a later date.

“In over 50% of cases there are no visible external injuries, despite significant internal injuries.”

“It’s not common knowledge, and that’s the gap we’re trying to fill.”

The research, titled Under Pressure: Know the Signs, is set to go before MLAs at Stormont today.

The research calls on the Department of Justice to change the law so that non-fatal strangulation cases must only be heard in a Crown Court, and that the PSNI must keep better data, and NHS staff should be trained to look for signs of NFS.

"A lack of standardised screening questions and specific training means that medical staff are currently unequipped to recognise many of the physical indicators of
NFS, made especially difficult as only around 39% present symptoms on the day of the injury," the report notes.