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Each self-inflicted death where the victim had endured abuse at home must be considered a potential homicide, according to calls from advocates who seek to hold abusers accountable for the devastating consequences of their behavior.

This step is necessary because police and prosecutors are failing to hold offenders accountable in instances of self-inflicted death after family violence.

“In case after case, there is widespread breakdown, particularly within the legal system, to examine these fatalities with the gravity they deserve,” remarked a leader of a campaign group during a significant gathering in Westminster earlier this week.

The assembly, organized by a organization running a “Suicide is Homicide” initiative to fight for change in the criminal justice system, brought together relatives who had lost loved ones to self-inflicted death after domestic abuse.

Individual Accounts of Loss

Sharon Holland lost her daughter Chloe Holland in March 2023. Before her death, the young woman had reported her former partner to authorities, submitting a two-hour video interview as evidence about his conduct.

Following her passing, the perpetrator was found guilty of manipulative and domineering conduct and imprisoned for over three years. He was subsequently sentenced for an additional term after a second woman came forward to report that she had been in a violent and abusive relationship with him.

After Chloe’s death, the parent decided to campaign for a new law to bring perpetrators to justice; yet she then discovered that laws were already in place, they just weren’t often being used to achieve convictions.

“I decided it was not a new law I required as existing laws were already there, and after finding out how much my child had been failed previous to her death by the police and numerous services, they had to fulfill their duties, and practices needed to change,” she explained.

“Over 47 families have found me and just a handful of us have had a conviction,” she continued. “I was astonished to see such a large number who have been fighting the authorities and prosecution service for a long time and receiving no resolution for their offspring or sibling and could not speak out in case it affected inquiries that were not progressing.”

Further Heartbreaking Account

Saskia Lightburn Richie’s child her 30-year-old daughter passed away in May 2017, in what she called “the ultimate abusive action” in a campaign of abuse.

“Hannah was vibrant, she was caring,” she stated. “She had great potential, and she was an amazing, deeply devoted mum to her two children, and she took her own life after 24 months in a partnership where she was systematically destroyed by her partner,” she said.

“She was physically beaten, she was mentally tormented, she was controlled and broken down gradually until she could not see a way forward. The man who did this to her walked free, because we label it self-inflicted death, we conclude the case and we proceed.

“But I could not move on,” she remarked, “and I have not managed to let go. Honestly, she didn’t just die by suicide. She was killed. She was killed slowly and intentionally over a two year period, and when I approached the authorities, when I pleaded with them to investigate what he had inflicted upon her, I was told that there was no action that they could do.

“No inquiry was conducted into her death. The domestic violence fatality analysis, which I had to struggle to obtain, required five years and changed nothing. A four day inquest determined self-inflicted death, notwithstanding huge evidence over a very traumatic multi-day session of family violence and failings by various agencies.”

The mother informed the gathering that for a decade she has “been fighting a system that refuses to see what is obvious”.

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

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

“The statutes exist. We require determination, we need police to investigate properly. We need the prosecution authority to take legal action. We need the judiciary to recognize that words and control can kill just as much as hands and weapons.”

Political Response

At a second meeting in the House of Commons, led by a Labour MP, and attended by the safeguarding minister, the bereaved relatives again told their stories.

A junior minister informed the assembly: “These deaths are often written off as if they were their own choice, they chose to do this, when, in truth, these were the result of actually, somebody else’s violence, and these aren’t rare incidents.”

“The legal system is flawed, we are aware,” she stated. “Particularly around homicide or manslaughter, it is fragmented. It lacks statutory basis anyway, it has been shaped with traditional legal customs for generations, and it is outdated, honestly, it’s the world we currently live in.

“I will not claim that it’s going to be simple to fix. It is extremely complicated and difficult, especially when you look at the matter of homicide, but we acknowledge that it needs to be looked at.”

Prosecution Service Statement

A representative for the legal body said: “Family violence is a heinous offense and our legal officers are actively advised to evaluate homicide allegations in suicide cases where there is a established background of family violence or other controlling or coercive behavior.

“We have previously charged a several individuals for leading to the fatality of a companion they mistreated, encompassing in proceedings which are currently active.

“We are collaborating with police and other parties to guarantee these types of crimes are well-understood – so that we can hold offenders accountable for the complete scope of their crimes.”