Suicides Connected to Domestic Abuse Should Be Probed as Possible Homicides, Demand British Families

Every suicide where the deceased had endured domestic violence should be treated as a possible murder case, according to calls from advocates who aim to make perpetrators accountable for the catastrophic consequences of their behavior.

This move is essential because law enforcement are not doing enough to hold offenders to justice in instances of suicide after family violence.

“Time and again, there is widespread breakdown, particularly within the legal system, to scrutinise these deaths with the gravity they warrant,” stated a leader of a campaign group during a landmark gathering in London recently.

The meeting, arranged by a organization running a “Suicide is Homicide” campaign to fight for change in the criminal justice system, brought together relatives who had suffered bereavement to suicide following domestic abuse.

Personal Stories of Tragedy

One mother experienced the death of her child her 23-year-old daughter in spring 2023. Prior to her passing, Chloe had informed her former partner to police, providing a lengthy recorded statement as proof against him.

After her death, the individual was convicted of coercive and controlling behavior and imprisoned for over three years. 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 mother decided to campaign for a legal change to bring perpetrators accountable; however she then discovered that laws 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 authorities and many other agencies, they needed to fulfill their duties, and things needed to change,” she said.

“More than four dozen relatives have found me and only four of us have had a conviction,” she continued. “I was so shocked to see such a large number who have been fighting the authorities and CPS for years and getting no justice for their child or sibling and could not speak out in case it impacted inquiries that were not progressing.”

Further Heartbreaking Account

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

“She was energetic, she was caring,” she stated. “She was full of promise, and she was an exceptional, really loving mother to her kids, and she took her own life after 24 months in a relationship where she was systematically destroyed by her companion,” she said.

“She endured physical assaults, she was mentally tormented, she was controlled and broken down piece by piece until she could not see a path ahead. The man who did this to her went unpunished, because we label it suicide, we close the file and we proceed.

“Yet I was unable to continue,” she remarked, “and I have not managed to let go. In truth, she didn’t just die by suicide. She was killed. Her death was gradual and deliberately 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 informed that there was no action that they were able to take.

“No inquiry was conducted into her death. The domestic violence fatality analysis, which I had to fight for, required five years and had no impact. A lengthy coroner’s hearing determined death by suicide, despite huge evidence over a extremely distressing multi-day session of domestic abuse and shortcomings by multiple services.”

The mother told the meeting that for eight years she has “struggled against a system that ignores what is obvious”.

She emphasized the suicide is homicide movement was vital “since when an individual dies by suicide after they’ve endured family violence, we have to examine it for what it truly represents, which is murder.

“We need to use the legislation we already possess effectively and it really isn’t happening at the present, and we need to hold abusers accountable for pushing their targets to suicide.

“The statutes exist. We need the will, we need police 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.”

Political Response

At a follow-up gathering in the House of Commons, led by a Labour MP, and attended by the government official, the bereaved relatives again shared their experiences.

A junior minister informed the assembly: “Such fatalities are often dismissed as if they were their decision, they chose to do this, when, reality, these were the result of in fact, somebody else’s violence, and these are not isolated stories.”

“Our law is broken, we know that,” she said. “Particularly around murder or manslaughter, it is piecemeal. It’s not written in statute anyway, it has been shaped with traditional legal customs for centuries, and it is outdated, honestly, given the society we inhabit today.

“I will not claim that it’s going to be easy to resolve. It is incredibly complex and difficult, particularly when you consider the matter of homicide, but we recognize that it needs to be looked at.”

Legal Authority Comment

A spokesperson for the prosecution service said: “Family violence is a terrible crime and our legal officers are actively advised to consider homicide allegations in suicide cases where there is a established background of domestic abuse or other controlling or coercive behavior.

“We have previously charged a number of defendants for leading to the fatality of a partner they mistreated, encompassing in proceedings which are currently active.

“We are also working with police and other parties to ensure these kinds of offences are well-understood – so that we can hold offenders accountable for the complete scope of their crimes.”