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Each self-inflicted death in which the victim had endured domestic violence must be treated as a potential murder case, according to demands from campaigners who aim to hold abusers responsible for the catastrophic consequences of their behavior.

This step is necessary because law enforcement are failing to bring perpetrators accountable in cases of suicide following family violence.

“In case after case, there is widespread breakdown, especially within the legal system, to scrutinise these fatalities with the seriousness they warrant,” stated a leader of a advocacy organization at a landmark gathering in London recently.

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

Individual Accounts of Loss

Sharon Holland lost her daughter her 23-year-old daughter in spring 2023. Prior to her passing, Chloe had reported her ex-boyfriend to police, submitting a two-hour video interview as evidence about his conduct.

After her death, the perpetrator was found guilty of coercive and controlling behavior and jailed for 41 months. He was later sentenced for an additional term after a another victim came forward to report that she had been in a harmful partnership with him.

After Chloe’s death, the mother decided to campaign for a legal change to hold offenders to justice; yet she then discovered that laws were existing, they just were rarely applied to secure prosecutions.

“I decided it wasn’t a new law I needed as existing laws were in place, and after finding out how much my daughter had been let down before her death by the police and numerous services, they had to fulfill their duties, and things required reform,” she explained.

“Over 47 families have contacted me and only four of us have had a guilty verdict,” she continued. “I was so shocked to see so many families who have been battling the authorities and prosecution service for a long time and receiving no resolution for their child or brother or sister and could not speak out in case it affected investigations that were not progressing.”

Another Tragic Case

Saskia Lightburn Richie’s child Hannah died in spring 2017, in what she described as “the ultimate abusive action” in a prolonged pattern of mistreatment.

“Hannah was vibrant, she was loving,” she stated. “She had great potential, and she was an exceptional, deeply devoted mother to her kids, and she died by suicide after 24 months in a partnership where she was methodically broken down by her partner,” she said.

“She was physically beaten, she was psychologically tortured, she was dominated and dismantled piece by piece until she could not see a way forward. The individual who did this to her walked free, because we call it self-inflicted death, we close the file and we proceed.

“Yet I was unable to continue,” she remarked, “and I have not managed to let go. Honestly, Hannah didn’t just die by suicide. She was killed. Her death was gradual 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 informed 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 lengthy coroner’s hearing determined death by suicide, notwithstanding huge evidence over a very traumatic four day period of family violence and failings by multiple services.”

The parent informed the gathering that for eight years she has “struggled against a establishment that refuses to see what is obvious”.

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

“We must use the legislation we already possess properly 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 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 recognize that words and control can cause death equally to physical force and arms.”

Government Reaction

At a second meeting in the Parliament, led by a Labour MP, and including the safeguarding minister, the grieving families again shared their experiences.

A junior minister told the meeting: “These deaths are often dismissed as if they were their own choice, they chose to do this, when, reality, these were the result of actually, somebody else’s violence, and these are not isolated stories.”

“Our law is broken, we know that,” she stated. “Especially around murder or unlawful killing, it is fragmented. It’s not written in statute anyway, it has been shaped with common law practices for centuries, and it is outdated, honestly, given the society we currently live in.

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

Prosecution Service Statement

A spokesperson for the prosecution service said: “Domestic abuse is a heinous offense and our legal officers are regularly instructed 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 causing the death of a partner they mistreated, encompassing in proceedings which are ongoing.

“We are also working with police and other parties to ensure these types of crimes are clearly recognized – so that we can bring perpetrators to justice for the full extent of their wrongdoings.”