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Each self-inflicted death in which the victim had endured abuse at home should be treated as a possible murder case, according to calls from campaigners who seek to hold abusers responsible for the catastrophic consequences of their actions.

This step is necessary because police and prosecutors are not doing enough to hold offenders accountable in instances of self-inflicted death following domestic abuse.

“In case after case, there is systemic and structural failure, particularly within the legal system, to examine these fatalities with the seriousness they deserve,” remarked a leader of a advocacy organization during a significant meeting in London recently.

The assembly, organized by a organization running a “Suicide is Homicide” initiative to advocate for reform in the criminal justice system, united relatives who had suffered bereavement to suicide following domestic abuse.

Personal Stories of Tragedy

Sharon Holland lost her daughter Chloe Holland in March 2023. Before her death, the young woman had informed her former partner to police, submitting a lengthy recorded statement as proof against him.

Following her passing, the individual was found guilty of manipulative and domineering conduct and imprisoned for 41 months. He was later jailed for an additional term 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 decided to campaign for a legal change to hold offenders accountable; yet she then discovered that regulations were existing, they just weren’t often being used to achieve convictions.

“I decided it was not a new law I needed as existing laws were already there, and after learning how much my daughter had been failed before her death by the police and numerous services, they needed to fulfill their duties, 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 astonished to see such a large number who have been fighting the police and CPS for a long time and getting no justice for their offspring or brother or sister and could not speak out in case it impacted inquiries that weren’t possibly going anywhere.”

Another Tragic Case

Saskia Lightburn Richie’s child Hannah died in May 2017, in what she called “the ultimate abusive action” in a prolonged pattern of mistreatment.

“Hannah was vibrant, she was loving,” she said. “She had great potential, and she was an exceptional, really loving mother to her kids, and she took her own life after two years in a partnership where she was systematically destroyed by her companion,” she explained.

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

“Yet I was unable to continue,” she said, “and I haven’t been able to let go. Honestly, Hannah didn’t just die by suicide. She was killed. Her death was gradual and deliberately over a two year period, and when I approached the authorities, when I begged them to investigate 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, took five years and had no impact. A lengthy coroner’s hearing determined death by suicide, despite huge evidence over a very traumatic multi-day session of domestic abuse and shortcomings by various agencies.”

The mother told the meeting that for a decade she has “struggled against a establishment that refuses to see what is right in front of it”.

She emphasized the suicide is homicide movement was vital “because when someone takes their own life after they’ve suffered family violence, we have to examine it for what it really is, which is murder.

“We must use the legislation we already possess effectively and it is not occurring at the moment, and we need to hold abusers accountable for pushing their targets to suicide.

“We have the laws. We need the will, we need law enforcement to investigate properly. We need the Crown Prosecution Service to prosecute. We need the judiciary to recognize that words and control can kill just as much as hands and weapons.”

Government Reaction

At a follow-up gathering in the House of Commons, chaired by a opposition politician, and attended by the safeguarding minister, the bereaved relatives 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, reality, these were the culmination of actually, somebody else’s violence, and these aren’t isolated stories.”

“The legal system is flawed, we know that,” she stated. “Particularly around murder or unlawful killing, it is fragmented. It lacks statutory basis regardless, it has been shaped with traditional legal customs for centuries, and it is no longer fit for purpose, quite frankly, it’s the world we inhabit today.

“I’m not going to pretend that it’s going to be easy to resolve. It is extremely complicated and challenging, especially when you look at the issue of murder, but we acknowledge that it requires examination.”

Prosecution Service Statement

A spokesperson for the prosecution service said: “Domestic abuse is a terrible offense and our legal officers are actively advised to evaluate homicide allegations in suicide cases where there is a known context of domestic abuse or other controlling or coercive behavior.

“We have in the past prosecuted a number of defendants for leading to the fatality of a partner they abused, including in proceedings which are ongoing.

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