Killed in 2019: Who has been brought to justice? - BBC News
The BBC tracked the first 100 killings of 2019 and has now identified those held legally responsible.
The number of fatal stabbings in England and Wales in 2017-18 was the highest since records began. By 2019 youth violence was being called a "national emergency" with MPs calling on the government to "get a grip" on the crisis in the wake of a string of teenagers being killed.

To find out more about what was going on behind the headlines the BBC started to track the killings across the UK in 2019, looking at the lives of the people affected.

While the suggestion was that gang violence and cuts to police numbers was the problem, the BBC project highlighted a far more complicated picture.

We reported on the first 100 victims of fatal stabbings in 2019 which showed those killed were mostly young and male.

But we also saw a rise in "invisible victims of knife crime" - those killed in incidents of domestic violence and highlighted how the excessive use of drugs and alcohol was a major factor in attacks across the UK.

The project has now examined the first 100 killings. This includes fatal stabbings, as well as deaths caused by shooting, assault and smothering.

We've identified 100 people held legally responsible for most of the deaths. In some cases, more than one killer was involved.

The age range of killers is wide but more than a quarter were teenagers - 14 of them were children (under 18).

Evidence in their trials revealed a pattern of abuse or neglect, mental health problems and limited educational attainment in the background of the young killers.

The circumstances of each killing is varied but there are also some strikingly common themes. Many were influenced by drugs and alcohol and some impacted with serious mental health problems.

But although such cases naturally grab the headlines, the violence generated by the market in illicit drugs doesn't tell the whole story.

From the dozens of murder trials we followed across the country, the killings were actually more likely to be the result of rows settled under the influence of drink and drugs rather than turf wars.

Most of the killers had been in trouble with the law before. Some were prolific offenders.

Over a fifth of the killers had links to street gangs, illustrating why police and government prioritise tackling this to drive down serious violence. But domestic killings also feature prominently.

Most of the 100 killings (66) led to criminal convictions, others went to inquests where a suspect had taken their own life after carrying out a homicide.

Some trials are waiting to be heard, having been delayed by Covid-19. The 13 cases with no charges include those that went to inquests and seven which are currently unsolved.

By January this year our research found the number of people killed across the UK actually fell in 2019 for the first time in five years.

It remains unclear what impact the pandemic will have on levels of violent crime in the UK but since lockdown restrictions began charities say there has been a rise in the number of people seeking help for domestic abuse and fears that higher rates of unemployment, homelessness and trauma could lead to an increase in violence, particularly among vulnerable young people.

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Information supplied by police forces in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The list is comprised of manslaughters, murders and infanticides. These causes of death are categorised as homicides by the Office of National Statistics.