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Each self-inflicted death where the deceased had experienced abuse at home should be treated as a possible homicide, as per demands from campaigners who seek to make perpetrators responsible for the catastrophic consequences of their behavior.

This move is necessary because law enforcement are failing to hold offenders to justice in instances of suicide after domestic abuse.

“Time and again, there is systemic and structural failure, particularly within the criminal justice system, to examine these deaths with the seriousness they deserve,” remarked a co-director of a campaign group at a landmark meeting in London earlier this week.

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

Personal Stories of Tragedy

Sharon Holland experienced the death of her child Chloe Holland in March 2023. Prior to her passing, the young woman had informed her former partner to police, providing a two-hour video interview as proof about his conduct.

After her death, the individual was found guilty of coercive and controlling behavior and imprisoned for 41 months. He was later sentenced for three years and seven months after a second woman stepped up to disclose 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 realized that laws were already in place, they just weren’t often being used to secure prosecutions.

“I concluded it was not a new law I required as current statutes were in place, and after finding out how much my daughter had been failed previous to her taking her life by the authorities and many other agencies, they needed to fulfill their duties, and practices needed to change,” she said.

“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 fighting the authorities and prosecution service for years and receiving no resolution for their child or sibling and didn’t have a voice in case it affected inquiries that weren’t possibly going anywhere.”

Further Heartbreaking Account

Saskia Lightburn Richie’s daughter Hannah died in spring 2017, in what she described as “the final act of violence” in a campaign of abuse.

“She was energetic, she was caring,” she stated. “She had great potential, and she was an amazing, really loving mum to her kids, and she took her own life after 24 months in a relationship where she was systematically destroyed by her partner,” she said.

“She endured physical assaults, she was mentally tormented, she was controlled and broken down piece by piece until she was unable to envision a way forward. The man who caused this went unpunished, because we call it suicide, we conclude the case and we move on.

“But I could not move on,” she remarked, “and I haven’t been able to move on. Honestly, she did not merely take her own life. 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 done to her, I was informed that there was no action that they could do.

“There was no investigation into her death. The domestic violence fatality analysis, which I had to struggle to obtain, required five years and had no impact. A lengthy coroner’s hearing found self-inflicted death, despite substantial proof over a very traumatic multi-day session of family violence and shortcomings by multiple services.”

The mother 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 campaign was vital “because when someone takes their own life after they’ve endured domestic abuse, we have to investigate it for what it truly represents, which is murder.

“We need to use the legislation we currently have effectively and it really isn’t happening at the moment, and we need to make perpetrators responsible for pushing their targets to suicide.

“The statutes exist. We require determination, we need law enforcement to conduct thorough inquiries. We need the prosecution authority to prosecute. We need judges to recognize that words and control can cause death just as much as hands and weapons.”

Political Response

At a follow-up gathering in the Parliament, led by a opposition politician, and attended by the government official, the grieving families again shared their experiences.

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, reality, these were the result of actually, another person’s abuse, 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 traditional legal customs for centuries, and it is outdated, quite frankly, given the society we currently live in.

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

Prosecution Service Statement

A spokesperson for the legal body commented: “Domestic abuse is a terrible offense and our legal officers are actively advised to consider murder and manslaughter charges in self-inflicted death instances where there is a established background of domestic abuse or other controlling or coercive behavior.

“We have in the past prosecuted a several individuals for causing the death of a companion they mistreated, encompassing in proceedings which are ongoing.

“We are also working with law enforcement and other parties to ensure these kinds of offences are well-understood – so that we can bring perpetrators accountable for the full extent of their wrongdoings.”