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Each self-inflicted death where the deceased had endured domestic violence must be considered a potential homicide, according to demands from advocates who aim to hold abusers accountable for the devastating impact of their behavior.

This step is necessary because law enforcement are failing to hold offenders accountable in instances of self-inflicted death following domestic abuse.

“In case after case, there is widespread breakdown, especially within the legal system, to examine these fatalities with the seriousness they deserve,” remarked a leader of a campaign group at a landmark gathering in London earlier this week.

The assembly, organized by a group running a “Suicide is Homicide” initiative to fight for reform in the criminal justice system, united families who had suffered bereavement to self-inflicted death following domestic abuse.

Individual Accounts of Tragedy

Sharon Holland experienced the death of her child Chloe Holland in spring 2023. Before her death, the young woman had informed her former partner to police, submitting a lengthy recorded statement as evidence about his conduct.

Following her passing, the individual was convicted of manipulative and domineering conduct and imprisoned for over three years. He was later sentenced for an additional term after a another victim stepped up to report that she had been in a harmful partnership with him.

After Chloe’s death, the parent decided to campaign for a new law to bring perpetrators accountable; yet she then discovered that laws were existing, they just were rarely applied to secure prosecutions.

“I concluded it wasn’t a fresh legislation I needed as existing laws were already there, and after finding out how much my daughter had been failed previous to her taking her life by the authorities and numerous services, they needed to fulfill their duties, and things needed to change,” she said.

“Over 47 families have found me and only four of us have had a conviction,” she added. “I was astonished to see such a large number who have been fighting the police and prosecution service for years and getting no justice for their offspring or brother or sister and didn’t have a voice in case it impacted investigations that were not progressing.”

Further Heartbreaking Account

One mother’s child Hannah passed away in May 2017, in what she called “the ultimate abusive action” in a campaign of abuse.

“She was vibrant, she was loving,” she stated. “She had great potential, and she was an amazing, really loving mum to her kids, and she died by suicide after 24 months in a relationship where she was systematically destroyed by her partner,” she explained.

“She was physically beaten, 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 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, she did not merely take her own life. She was murdered. She was killed slowly and deliberately 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 informed that there was no action that they could do.

“No inquiry was conducted into her death. The domestic homicide review, which I had to fight for, required five years and changed nothing. A four day inquest determined death by suicide, despite huge evidence over a very traumatic multi-day session of family violence and failings by multiple services.”

The parent told the meeting that for a decade she has “been fighting a establishment that ignores what is right in front of it”.

She emphasized the suicide is homicide movement was critical “because when someone dies by suicide after they’ve endured family violence, we have to investigate it for what it truly represents, which is homicide.

“We need to apply the laws we already possess properly and it really isn’t happening at the moment, and we need to hold abusers accountable for driving their victims to death.

“The statutes exist. We require determination, we need police to conduct thorough inquiries. We need the Crown Prosecution Service to prosecute. We need judges to understand that words and control can kill just as much as hands and weapons.”

Government Reaction

At a second meeting in the House of Commons, chaired by a Labour MP, and attended by the government official, the bereaved relatives again told their stories.

A parliamentary under-secretary told the meeting: “Such fatalities are often dismissed as if they were their own choice, they chose to do this, when, in truth, these were the result of in fact, somebody else’s violence, and these aren’t isolated stories.”

“The legal system is flawed, we know that,” she stated. “Particularly around homicide or unlawful killing, it is piecemeal. It’s not written in statute anyway, it has been shaped with common law practices for generations, and it is no longer fit for purpose, 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 look at the matter of homicide, but we recognize that it needs to be looked at.”

Prosecution Service Statement

A representative for the prosecution service commented: “Family violence is a terrible offense and our prosecutors are actively advised to consider murder and manslaughter charges in self-inflicted death instances where there is a known context of family violence or other controlling or coercive behavior.

“We have in the past prosecuted a several individuals for causing the death of a partner they abused, including in proceedings which are ongoing.

“We are collaborating with police and other parties to ensure these kinds of offences are well-understood – so that we can bring perpetrators accountable for the full extent of their wrongdoings.”