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Each self-inflicted death where the deceased had endured domestic violence should be considered a possible murder case, as per calls from campaigners who seek to hold abusers accountable for the catastrophic consequences of their behavior.

This step is essential because law enforcement are not doing enough to bring perpetrators to justice in cases of self-inflicted death following domestic abuse.

“In case after case, there is widespread breakdown, particularly within the criminal justice system, to examine these deaths with the gravity they deserve,” remarked a leader of a advocacy organization at a landmark gathering in Westminster earlier this week.

The meeting, arranged by a group leading a “Self-Inflicted Death is Murder” campaign to fight for change in the criminal justice system, brought together relatives who had lost loved ones to self-inflicted death following domestic abuse.

Individual Accounts of Tragedy

Sharon Holland lost her daughter Chloe Holland in spring 2023. Prior to her passing, Chloe had reported her former partner to authorities, providing a two-hour video interview as evidence about his conduct.

After her death, the perpetrator was found guilty of coercive and controlling behavior and jailed for 41 months. He was subsequently jailed for three years and seven months after a another victim came forward to report that she had been in a violent and abusive relationship with him.

In the wake of her loss, the parent chose to advocate for a legal change to bring perpetrators accountable; however she then realized that regulations were existing, they just weren’t often being used to achieve convictions.

“I decided it wasn’t a new law I required as current statutes were in place, and after learning how much my child had been failed before her taking her life by the authorities and many other agencies, they needed to do their job properly, and practices needed to change,” she explained.

“Over 47 families have contacted me and just a handful of us have had a conviction,” she added. “I was so shocked to see such a large number who have been fighting the police and CPS for a long time and receiving no resolution for their child or sibling and could not speak out in case it impacted investigations that were not progressing.”

Another Tragic Case

One mother’s child Hannah died in spring 2017, in what she described as “the final act of violence” in a campaign of abuse.

“She was energetic, she was loving,” she said. “She had great potential, and she was an amazing, deeply devoted mum to her kids, and she took her own life after two years in a partnership where she was methodically broken down by her companion,” she explained.

“She was physically beaten, she was psychologically tortured, she was controlled and broken down piece by piece until she could not see a path ahead. The individual who did this to her walked free, because we label it self-inflicted death, we close the file and we move on.

“But I could not move on,” she remarked, “and I haven’t been able to let go. In truth, she didn’t just die by suicide. She was killed. Her death was gradual and intentionally over a two year period, and when I approached the authorities, when I pleaded with them to look into what he had inflicted upon her, I was told that there was nothing that they could do.

“No inquiry was conducted into her passing. The domestic violence fatality analysis, which I had to struggle to obtain, required five years and changed nothing. A lengthy coroner’s hearing determined self-inflicted death, notwithstanding substantial proof over a extremely distressing multi-day session of family violence and failings by various agencies.”

The mother informed the gathering that for eight years she has “been fighting a system that ignores what is right in front of it”.

She said the suicide is homicide campaign was critical “because when someone takes their own life after they’ve suffered family violence, we have to examine it for what it truly represents, which is homicide.

“We must use the legislation we already possess effectively and it is not occurring at the moment, and we need to make perpetrators responsible for driving their victims to death.

“We have the laws. We require determination, we need law enforcement to conduct thorough inquiries. We need the Crown Prosecution Service to take legal action. We need judges to recognize that words and control can kill just as much as hands and weapons.”

Government Reaction

At a second meeting in the Parliament, led by a opposition politician, and attended by the safeguarding minister, the grieving families again shared their experiences.

A parliamentary under-secretary told the meeting: “These deaths are often written off as if they were their decision, they opted for this, when, in truth, these were the culmination of actually, another person’s abuse, and these are not isolated stories.”

“The legal system is flawed, we know that,” she stated. “Particularly around homicide or unlawful killing, it is fragmented. It lacks statutory basis anyway, it has been shaped with traditional legal customs for generations, and it is outdated, honestly, given the society we currently live in.

“I will not claim that it’s going to be simple to resolve. It is extremely complicated and challenging, especially when you consider the matter of murder, but we recognize that it requires examination.”

Legal Authority Comment

A spokesperson for the prosecution service commented: “Family violence is a terrible offense and our legal officers are regularly instructed to evaluate murder and manslaughter charges in suicide cases where there is a established background of family violence or other manipulative conduct.

“We have previously charged a number of defendants for causing the death of a companion they abused, encompassing in cases which are currently active.

“We are collaborating with law enforcement and other parties to guarantee these types of crimes are clearly recognized – so that we can bring perpetrators accountable for the full extent of their crimes.”