NEW figures reveal that 75 per cent of domestic abuse cases in Gloucestershire end up with a conviction.

Domestic abuse cases currently account for 51 per cent of all prosecutions taken through the courts in the county - compared to a national average of 44 per cent.

Among these cases is the prosecution of 21-year-old Simon Godfrey, who attacked his girlfriend Sasha Hester in their Cirencester home.

Godfrey, formerly of St Michael's Avenue in Yeovil, pleaded guilty to assault on November 20 and is due to be sentenced on December 19, with the judge warning him to expect a jail term.

Police in the county deal with around 6,000 reports of domestic abuse each year.

Gloucestershire police has also been scrutinising the use of the Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Harassment and Honour Based Violence (DASH) form, which officers are meant to complete after incidents to assess the risk to victims, and reported a 100 per cent compliance rate in October. The conviction figures follow a recent report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary which commended Gloucestershire police for improvements in the way domestic abuse cases are identified and investigated.

Gloucestershire's Assistant Chief Constable, Richard Berry, said: “I think these figures show heightened awareness of domestic abuse and will hopefully encourage more victims to come forward."

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