There has been an 87% increase in the number of domestic violence cases sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions compared with 2019.
The Director of the DPP, Claire Loftus, has welcomed the fact that courts are giving priority to these cases.
Speaking at the Annual National Prosecutor's Conference today, the Director of Public Prosecutions said there has been 684 files related to domestic violence or the breach of a court order submitted already in 2020.
That represents a massive increase on the 464 that were received in the whole of 2019.
Claire Loftus said the sheer number of files submitted to her office since the pandemic began in total, is up by over a fifth.
The Director called this "extraordinary" but isn't sure if it will continue into 2021.
It comes as Ireland’s first trial conviction for coercive control concluded last week.
A 52-year-old man was convicted of coercive control, intimidation and multiple assault charges following a 21-day trial.
It was the first time a jury has found anyone guilty of coercive control since the offence was introduced under the Domestic Violence Act.
Reporting by Tom Douglas
