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Each self-inflicted death where the deceased had experienced abuse at home should be treated as a potential murder case, as per demands from advocates who aim to hold abusers accountable for the catastrophic consequences of their behavior.

This move is essential because police and prosecutors are not doing enough to hold offenders to justice in instances of suicide after domestic abuse.

“In case after case, there is widespread breakdown, particularly within the legal system, to examine these fatalities with the seriousness they warrant,” remarked a co-director of a advocacy organization at a significant meeting in Westminster recently.

The meeting, arranged by a group running a “Suicide is Homicide” initiative to fight for reform in the legal framework, brought together families who had lost loved ones to suicide after domestic abuse.

Personal Stories of Tragedy

Sharon Holland experienced the death of her child her 23-year-old daughter in March 2023. Prior to her passing, the young woman had informed her ex-boyfriend to authorities, submitting a lengthy recorded statement as proof about his conduct.

Following her passing, the perpetrator was convicted of coercive and controlling behavior and imprisoned for 41 months. He was subsequently sentenced for three years and seven months after a second woman stepped up to report that she had been in a violent and abusive relationship with him.

After Chloe’s death, the parent chose to advocate for a new law to hold offenders accountable; however she then discovered that laws were already in place, they just weren’t often being used to secure prosecutions.

“I decided it was not a fresh legislation I needed as current statutes were in place, and after finding out how much my daughter had been let down before her taking her life by the police and many other agencies, they had to do their job properly, and practices needed to change,” she said.

“Over 47 families have found me and only four of us have had a conviction,” she continued. “I was astonished to see such a large number who have been battling the police and prosecution service for years and getting no justice for their offspring or sibling and could not speak out in case it impacted inquiries that weren’t possibly going anywhere.”

Another Tragic Case

One mother’s daughter Hannah died in spring 2017, in what she described as “the final act of violence” in a prolonged pattern of mistreatment.

“She was vibrant, she was caring,” she stated. “She was full of promise, and she was an exceptional, really loving mum to her two children, and she died by suicide after 24 months in a relationship where she was systematically destroyed by her partner,” she said.

“She endured physical assaults, she was psychologically tortured, she was controlled and broken down piece by piece until she was unable to envision a way forward. The individual who did this to her walked free, because we call it self-inflicted death, we conclude the case and we proceed.

“But I could not move on,” she said, “and I haven’t been able to move on. In truth, she didn’t just die by suicide. She was killed. Her death was gradual and deliberately over a 24-month span, and when I went to the police, when I begged them to look into what he had done to her, I was informed that there was nothing that they were able to take.

“No inquiry was conducted into her passing. The domestic violence fatality analysis, which I had to fight for, took five years and had no impact. A four day inquest determined death by suicide, despite substantial proof over a very traumatic multi-day session of domestic abuse and shortcomings by various agencies.”

The parent informed the gathering that for eight years she has “struggled against a system that refuses to see what is right in front of it”.

She emphasized the suicide is homicide campaign was critical “because when an individual dies by suicide after they’ve suffered domestic abuse, we have to examine it for what it truly represents, which is homicide.

“We must apply the laws we currently have effectively and it is not occurring at the moment, and we need to hold abusers accountable for driving their victims to death.

“We have the laws. We need the will, we need law enforcement to conduct thorough inquiries. We need the Crown Prosecution Service to prosecute. We need the judiciary to recognize that words and control can kill just as much as physical force and arms.”

Government Reaction

At a follow-up gathering in the House of Commons, chaired by a opposition politician, and including the safeguarding minister, the bereaved relatives again told their stories.

A parliamentary under-secretary informed the assembly: “Such fatalities are often written off as if they were their decision, they opted for this, when, in truth, these were the result of actually, another person’s abuse, and these are not isolated stories.”

“The legal system is flawed, we are aware,” she stated. “Particularly around homicide or unlawful killing, it is piecemeal. It’s not written in statute regardless, it has been developed with traditional legal customs for centuries, and it is no longer fit for purpose, honestly, given the society we inhabit today.

“I will not claim that it’s going to be easy to fix. It is incredibly complex and difficult, particularly when you consider the issue of homicide, but we recognize that it requires examination.”

Prosecution Service Statement

A representative for the prosecution service commented: “Family violence is a heinous crime and our prosecutors are regularly instructed to evaluate murder and manslaughter charges in suicide cases where there is a known context of domestic abuse or other controlling or coercive behavior.

“We have previously charged a several individuals for causing the death of a companion they abused, encompassing in proceedings which are currently active.

“We are collaborating with police and other stakeholders to guarantee these types of crimes are clearly recognized – so that we can hold offenders to justice for the full extent of their crimes.”