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Each self-inflicted death where the victim had endured abuse at home must be treated as a potential murder case, as per demands from advocates who seek to make perpetrators accountable for the devastating consequences of their behavior.

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

“In case after case, there is systemic and structural failure, particularly within the criminal justice system, to scrutinise these fatalities with the gravity they deserve,” stated a co-director of a campaign group during a landmark gathering in London recently.

The assembly, arranged by a group leading a “Suicide is Homicide” initiative to fight for reform in the criminal justice system, united families who had lost loved ones to suicide following family violence.

Personal Stories of Loss

One mother experienced the death of her child Chloe Holland in spring 2023. Before her death, Chloe had reported her ex-boyfriend to police, providing a two-hour video interview as evidence against him.

After her death, the perpetrator was convicted of coercive and controlling behavior and jailed for 41 months. He was later sentenced 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 mother decided to campaign for a legal change to hold offenders to justice; yet she then discovered that laws were existing, they just weren’t often being used to secure prosecutions.

“I concluded it wasn’t a new law I needed as existing laws were already there, and after learning how much my daughter had been let down previous to her death by the authorities and numerous services, they needed to fulfill their duties, and things required reform,” she said.

“Over 47 families have contacted me and only four of us have had a guilty verdict,” she continued. “I was astonished to see so many families who have been fighting the authorities and CPS for a long time and getting no justice for their offspring or sibling and didn’t have a voice in case it affected investigations that were not progressing.”

Another Tragic Case

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

“Hannah was vibrant, she was caring,” she said. “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 relationship where she was methodically broken down by her partner,” she said.

“She was physically beaten, she was mentally tormented, she was dominated and broken down gradually until she could not see a path ahead. The individual who caused this went unpunished, because we label it self-inflicted death, we close the file and we proceed.

“But I could not move on,” she remarked, “and I have not managed to let go. In truth, Hannah didn’t just die by suicide. She was murdered. She was killed slowly and intentionally over a 24-month span, 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.

“There was no investigation into her passing. The domestic homicide review, which I had to fight for, took five years and had no impact. A lengthy coroner’s hearing found death by suicide, notwithstanding huge evidence over a very traumatic multi-day session of family violence 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 said the self-inflicted death is murder movement was vital “since when someone dies by suicide after they’ve suffered family violence, we have to investigate it for what it truly represents, which is homicide.

“We need to apply the laws we currently have properly and it is not occurring at the present, and we need to make perpetrators responsible for pushing their targets to suicide.

“The statutes exist. We need the will, we need law enforcement to conduct thorough inquiries. We need the prosecution authority to take legal action. We need the judiciary to understand that verbal abuse and manipulation can cause death just as much as physical force and arms.”

Government Reaction

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

A parliamentary under-secretary 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 culmination of in fact, another person’s abuse, and these aren’t isolated stories.”

“The legal system is flawed, we know that,” she said. “Particularly around homicide or manslaughter, it is fragmented. It’s not written in statute regardless, it has been shaped with traditional legal customs for centuries, and it is no longer fit for purpose, honestly, it’s the world we currently live in.

“I’m not going to pretend that it’s going to be easy to resolve. It is incredibly complex and challenging, particularly when you consider the issue of murder, but we recognize that it requires examination.”

Prosecution Service Statement

A spokesperson for the legal body commented: “Domestic abuse is a heinous offense and our legal officers are actively advised to evaluate homicide allegations in suicide cases 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 companion they mistreated, including in cases which are currently active.

“We are collaborating with police and other parties to ensure these kinds of offences are clearly recognized – so that we can bring perpetrators accountable for the complete scope of their crimes.”