A DOMESTIC violence campaigner is urging victims to record incidents of abuse, as new figures suggest cases continue to fail due to lack of evidence.
Figures obtained from the police by Ridley and Hall Solicitors under the Freedom of Information Act, show that North Yorkshire Police recorded 93 arrests for ‘controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship’ in 2018.
In that same period, eight charges were made for that same offence, while an outcome of ‘no further action’ was recorded 69 times.
Family lawyer and domestic violence campaigner, Emma Pearmaine, said gathering enough evidence for the Crown Prosecution Service to bring a charge against violent spouses is exceptionally difficult.
She said: “Coercive control is a pattern of behaviours which are very hard for both victims and the police to prove.
"Although thousands of arrests are made for domestic violence each year, cases are often dropped because of insufficient evidence.
“I urge those who already feel threatened to find a way of making a record of any and all incidents of abuse over the summer.”
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