One out of every five people arrested after their participation in the 2024 summer riots has since been reported to the police for domestic abuse, the Guardian can disclose.

Police data released under freedom of information (FoI) laws shows that 21% of 949 people arrested for taking part in the violent disorder have been reported for crimes associated with intimate partner violence since August 2024.

For individuals arrested by Cumbria police, this figure was as high as 54%.

Offences for which alleged rioters have since been reported include common assault, controlling and coercive behaviour, breach of domestic violence protection notice and injunctions, threats to kill, actual bodily harm, and criminal damage.

The Guardian previously revealed that two out of every five arrested for participating in the riots had been the subject of a domestic abuse report before their involvement in the public disorder.

Calls to protect women and children alongside anti-migrant rhetoric have been a common feature of these rallies.

The Guardian’s data was obtained through FoI requests sent to 21 police forces covering the 27 towns and cities across England and Northern Ireland where the 2024 riots took place.

The 27 towns were identified as sites of significant disorder in a House of Commons briefing document published in September 2024. Between 30 July and 7 August 2024, an estimated 29 anti-immigration demonstrations and riots took place.

Thousands participated in rioting in some locations and many involved significant property damage.

In Hull, 116 people were arrested. Just under three in 10 – 33 in total – have since been reported for domestic abuse, Humberside police said.

In Rotherham, where hundreds attacked and set fire to an asylum hotel, 171 people were arrested, 40 of whom have since been reported for domestic abuse, South Yorkshire police said.

In Bristol, Avon and Somerset police reported that of the 60 people arrested, 12 have since been subject to reports relating to domestic abuse offences.

Four police forces were unable to provide information on domestic abuse reports within cost limits for FoI requests, including Merseyside police and Greater Manchester police. Southport and Liverpool were the sites of several days of rioting as Merseyside police made 221 arrests.

Keenan Sanders, 22, was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon and criminal damage while participating in the public disorder in Manchester.

After his release under investigation, Sanders subjected his partner to coercive and controlling behaviour in addition to attacks with a knife, strangling, pushing her into oncoming traffic and threatening to cripple her. Sentencing Sanders to 10 years in prison, the judge described his actions as “prolonged, persistent and cruel, at times bordering on sadistic”.

Keir Starmer, speaking in the aftermath, said that rioters could expect to be held on remand and rapidly brought before the courts. Former home secretary Yvette Cooper also promised that participants would face “swift justice”.

The first prison sentence was handed down a week after the riots took place. Justice officials have since revealed that magistrates courts came close to being shut down as prisons struggled to meet capacity for those being fast-tracked through the justice system and remanded to custody.

Data provided by the National Police Chiefs’ Council shows that 50% of individuals have now been charged after their arrests. The Crown Prosecution Service disclosed that 43% have been convicted for offences committed during the violent disorder. For one police force, this was as low as 8%.

Cumbria police reported that of the 26 people arrested, 14 have since been reported for domestic abuse offences. Only four of the 26 arrested have been convicted for any offences committed during the riots.

In Hartlepool and Middlesbrough, Cleveland police made 182 arrests, 38 of whom have since been subject to a domestic abuse report. In the month after the riots in both towns, five individuals were reported for domestic abuse offences which included malicious communication, threats to destroy property and assault.

Farah Nazeer, the chief executive of Women’s Aid, said: “Since 2024, we’ve seen many of those attending the protests that erupted into riots carrying placards with the likes of ‘protect our women’ scrawled on them. It’s worrying to think that in those same crowds were people who had themselves committed, or been accused of, domestic abuse offences.

“It’s important to remember that the most common danger for women does not come from the streets or from strangers, but from people they already know. Most commonly, current or ex-partners.

“It is vital that myths surrounding domestic abuse, and who is most likely to perpetrate it, are called out. We need the government to do more to challenge these harmful stereotypes and to raise greater awareness that it is misogyny that underpins domestic abuse, not immigration status.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Violence against women and girls is a national emergency, and we will continue to deploy the full power of the state to bring vile perpetrators to justice, and prevent harm before it occurs.

“Our violence against women and girls strategy sets out how we will pursue and manage domestic abuse perpetrators. This includes through the rollout of new domestic abuse protection orders to help police forces identify and target the most dangerous perpetrators.”

I regularly use lemon zest, but the result is that I often have two or three bald lemons hanging around going mouldy. What can I do with them?
Bel, by email
“We use a lot of zest and peel in our cooking at the restaurant,” sympathises Chris Shaw of Toklas in London, “so we also end up with a load of peeled lemons.” Not that that’s a hardship, mind, because no matter what you’re making, you’re almost always going to need acid in some shape or form. As Jad Youssef, author of Lebnani, says: “If something’s flat, lemon juice is usually the fix. In Lebanon, we always have cut lemons on the table, ready to squeeze over pretty much every meal.”

To be a bit more specific, though, Bel’s first port of call might be dressings, particularly at prime salad time. “Whisk the juice with olive oil, a pinch of salt, maybe a bit of garlic, and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses,” Youssef says. That would then mingle nicely with all manner of things: tomatoes, radishes, cucumber, or grilled courgette or aubergine.

But be sure to squeeze those lemons early, says Helen Graham, author of Centrepiece. “Once bald, they go hard pretty quickly and are then almost impossible to squeeze,” she says. Graham freezes the juice in ice-cube trays: “You then have these little lemon cubes to use throughout the week, ready to turn something drab into something wow.” Shaw agrees: “I’d drop them into pastas, risottos, any soups or stews that need freshening up, or simply use them as ice cubes in drinks.”

If you have a good few bald lemons knocking around, Bel could do a lot worse than cooking them slowly with olive oil and a pinch of salt, Youssef adds: “That’s almost like a quick confit, and they turn soft, mellow and slightly sweet,” and are especially pleasing spooned over meat, vegetables or fish. If you’re baking fish, however, Shaw would be inclined to shove a bald lemon in the tray, too: “When the fish is cooked, use tongs to squeeze the juice over the top – you’ll get a load out of it.” This strategy also works a dream with roast chicken, pork chops, lamb, even beef: “If you whisk the lemon juice with the resting juices and olive oil, you’re essentially making a light emulsion to go with whatever you’re eating.”

For more of a project, Graham recommends slicing the lemons and layering them in a jar with equal parts caster sugar: “That will eventually turn into a lemon syrup, which you can use to soak sponge cakes. It would be really nice poured over some roast feta, too.” Alternatively, layer those lemon slices with salt, cover with olive or rapeseed oil, and leave for a week: “You’ll end up with these delicate lemons for chopping into salads; I also use the oil in salad dressings.”

For times when your heart’s not really in it, meanwhile, Shaw would simply add any spare lemon juice to the dinner water jug. “Or mix it with water, a bit of sugar, maybe a splash of rose water for a quick, refreshing lemonade,” Youssef says. “A lemon without its zest can still do plenty of work.”