Detective Inspector Paul Foggin, of Sunderland Public Protection Unit (PPU), said plans for the special court – to be added to Sunderland Magistrates' Court – are well under way.

He said: "The court will be more victim-friendly and will just deal with domestic violence cases, so victims can get an increase in support available to them."

Since 2003, nationally, the volume of prosecutions that resulted in guilty verdicts has risen from 46 per cent to 59 per cent in 2005.
This figure has increased further to 71 per cent of cases prosecuted in these specialist courts resulting in guilty verdicts.

Det Insp Foggin believes the introduction of a specialist court in Sunderland would help to boost the number of convictions secured against wife beaters, as well as act as a deterrent.

"The magistrates are trained in relation to domestic violence and there really is an effort to make it a more friendly atmosphere," he said.

"As it is now at the magistrates court you can have a traffic offence followed by a domestic violence case – and that can be off-putting for victims."

The court will be painted in welcoming colours and will have screens put in place to hide vulnerable victims."

The system has been successfully piloted in other areas of the country.
Clare Phillipson, head of Wearside Women in Need, has also welcomed the move, claiming it will help to stamp out beatings in the home and speed up prosecutions.

"I think this will mean that domestic violence cases don't take so long to get to court and are dealt with by experts who understand how difficult it is for victims to prosecute," she said.

"It also sends out a strong message to people committing these acts in Sunderland and spreads the message that these people are criminals and not about relationships or how people behave."

Home Office Minister the Rt Hon Baroness Scotland, QC, is also keen to see more of these courts spread across the country.

She said: "Domestic violence is a terrible crime that occurs behind closed doors.

"We must ensure that victims' interests and needs are put at the heart of the criminal justice system and that those who experience this insidious crime have the confidence to come forward and report it."