Restraining orders figures revealed

THE number of people in Leicestershire taken to court for breaching restraining orders is at its highest level in a decade.

In 2017, 212 people from the police force area appeared in court charged with breaching a restraining or non-molestation order or an injunction against harassment.

While the number of breaches appears to be rising, the conviction rate for those who break the terms of orders to protect victims from harassment and the threat of violence is also rising.

There has been a steady rise in the number of breaches being prosecuted since 2007, when 33 people appeared in court.

The number rose from 156 in 2016, according to the figures from the Ministry of Justice.

Part of the rise in people being prosecuted for breaching restraining orders may be due to more orders being made.

Section 12 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 (DVCVA 2004) came into force on September 30, 2009, enabling courts to impose a restraining order in a much wider range of circumstances.

Previously courts could only make a restraining order when sentencing or otherwise dealing with a defendant convicted of an offence of harassment or of putting someone in fear of violence.

The figures show that there was a jump from 32 prosecutions in Leicestershire in 2008 to 69 in 2009, following the change in law.

The figures show 87% of those prosecuted for breaches in 2017 were convicted.

This was a total of 185 convictions, again, the highest number since records began in 2007.

Of those convicted in 2017, 88% were men, 163 out of 185, with most aged 25 and over, a total of 132 convictions.

Among those convicted in Leicestershire in 2017, were eight men aged between 18 and 20.