Three quarters of people killed by being strangled are women

Women make up three quarters of the people killed by being strangled in England and Wales, a damning new report has found. The study, by the Institute for Addressing Strangulation, discovered there were 342 strangulation homicides from 2011 to 2021 and 75 per cent of these victims were female. Researchers, whose findings were obtained via Freedom of Information laws, found the most common place for a woman to be strangled or suffocated to death was in the home – with  86 per cent of strangulation homicides and 74 per cent of suffocation deaths taking place at home. Bernie Ryan, the organisation’s chief executive, told The Independent they are ‘shocked’ by all deaths stemming from strangulation. He added: ‘Behind each death is a person who had family, friends, thoughts, feelings, and hopes and dreams. The data highlights that 96 per cent of cases of domestic strangulation homicides were perpetrated by males. ‘This demonstrates that this is a gendered crime. We are aware that males also experience domestic abuse, however strangulation homicides tend to be against females by males, 75 per cent of victims of strangulation homicides are females. As highlighted more work needs to be done to explore this method of killing.’ Researchers found female victims of strangulation homicide were most likely to be aged between 25 and 34, while male victims were most frequently in the 35 to 44 age bracket. Women victims of strangulation homicide who were older than 16 were 54 times more likely to have been killed by an ex-partner or partner than a male victim of strangulation homicide. In 96 per cent of cases of domestic strangulation homicides where the victim was older than 16, the suspect was male. Men made up a quarter of victims of strangulation homicides from 2011 to 2021, with male victims most likely to have been strangled to death by either an acquaintance or a friend. Dr Gemma McKenzie, the report’s author, said: ‘This report highlights the terrible statistics regarding women being strangled and suffocated by (ex) partners in domestic homicide settings. ‘It exposes the dark corners of this method of killing which warrant further investigation. These unexplored areas include infanticide, elder abuse, parricide (killing of a parent) and the circumstances of adult male victims of strangulation homicides.’ She called for ‘better recording and categorisation of Office for National Statistic (ONS) data related to strangulation and suffocation homicides which in turn will help increase awareness and understanding of the range of people who may become a victim of strangulation and suffocation homicide.’ Anyone who requires help or support can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline which is open 24/7 365 days per year on 0808 2000 247 or via their website https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/