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Every suicide in which the deceased had endured domestic violence must be considered a possible murder case, according to calls from advocates who aim to hold abusers accountable for the devastating consequences of their actions.

This step is necessary because law enforcement are not doing enough to hold offenders accountable in instances of suicide after domestic abuse.

“In case after case, there is widespread breakdown, particularly within the legal system, to examine these fatalities with the gravity they deserve,” remarked a co-director of a advocacy organization during a landmark gathering in London earlier this week.

The meeting, organized by a organization leading a “Self-Inflicted Death is Murder” campaign to fight for change in the legal framework, united families who had suffered bereavement to suicide after domestic abuse.

Personal Stories of Loss

One mother experienced the death of her child her 23-year-old daughter in March 2023. Before her death, Chloe had informed her ex-boyfriend to authorities, submitting a lengthy recorded statement as evidence against him.

After her death, the perpetrator was found guilty of coercive and controlling behavior and imprisoned for over three years. He was subsequently jailed for three years and seven months after a another victim stepped up to report that she had been in a violent and abusive relationship with him.

After Chloe’s death, the mother chose to advocate for a legal change to bring perpetrators accountable; however she then discovered that regulations were already in place, they just weren’t often being used to secure prosecutions.

“I decided it wasn’t a fresh legislation I required as current statutes were already there, and after finding out how much my child had been failed previous to her taking her life by the police and numerous services, they had to do their job properly, and practices needed to change,” she explained.

“More than four dozen relatives have contacted me and only four of us have had a guilty verdict,” she added. “I was so shocked to see such a large number who have been battling 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 affected inquiries that were not progressing.”

Another Tragic Case

One mother’s child her 30-year-old daughter passed away in spring 2017, in what she called “the ultimate abusive action” in a prolonged pattern of mistreatment.

“She was energetic, she was loving,” she stated. “She was full of promise, and she was an amazing, deeply devoted mum to her kids, and she died by suicide after two years in a relationship where she was systematically destroyed by her partner,” she explained.

“She endured physical assaults, she was psychologically tortured, she was controlled and broken down piece by piece until she could not see a way forward. The man who did this to her went unpunished, because we call it suicide, we conclude the case and we move on.

“Yet I was unable to continue,” she said, “and I haven’t been able to let go. In truth, Hannah didn’t just die by suicide. She was killed. Her death was gradual and intentionally over a 24-month span, and when I went to the police, when I pleaded with them to look into what he had inflicted upon her, I was told that there was nothing that they could do.

“There was no investigation into her death. The domestic homicide review, which I had to struggle to obtain, took five years and had no impact. A lengthy coroner’s hearing determined self-inflicted death, notwithstanding substantial proof over a very traumatic multi-day session of domestic abuse and shortcomings by various agencies.”

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

She emphasized the self-inflicted death is murder movement was critical “since when an individual dies by suicide after they’ve endured family violence, we have to investigate it for what it really is, which is murder.

“We need to apply the laws we currently have properly and it really isn’t happening at the moment, and we need to hold abusers accountable for pushing their targets to suicide.

“The statutes exist. We need the will, we need law enforcement 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 Parliament, chaired by a Labour MP, and including 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 decision, they chose to do this, when, in truth, these were the result of in fact, somebody else’s violence, and these are not rare incidents.”

“The legal system is flawed, we know that,” she said. “Especially around murder or unlawful killing, it is piecemeal. It’s not written in statute anyway, it has been shaped with common law practices for centuries, 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 fix. It is incredibly complex and challenging, particularly when you look at the issue of homicide, but we recognize that it requires examination.”

Prosecution Service Statement

A representative for the prosecution service commented: “Domestic abuse is a terrible offense and our legal officers are regularly instructed to evaluate homicide allegations in self-inflicted death instances where there is a known context 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 collaborating with law enforcement and other parties to guarantee these types of crimes are clearly recognized – so that we can bring perpetrators accountable for the full extent of their crimes.”