The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will train its staff to recognise the “wide spectrum of abuse” in cases of violence against women, after new data found that domestic abuse was present in more than a third of rape cases, and in more than eight out of 10 cases of stalking and image-based abuse.

Launching its five-year Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, the body said its main aims were to increase casework quality and increase trust in the CPS.

The CPS data found a significant overlap in crime types relating to violence against women and girls, with 93.5% of charges of “honour” crimes linked to domestic abuse, as well as 35.1% of rape charges, 82.8% of charges of stalking, and 85.6% of charges of image-based sexual abuse, known as “revenge porn”.

“The nature of violenc

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