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Every suicide where the victim had endured domestic violence should be considered a possible homicide, as per demands from campaigners who aim to make perpetrators responsible for the catastrophic consequences of their actions.

This move is essential because police and prosecutors are not doing enough to bring perpetrators accountable in instances of suicide after family violence.

“Time and again, there is systemic and structural failure, particularly within the criminal justice system, to examine these fatalities with the seriousness they warrant,” remarked a leader of a campaign group at a significant gathering in Westminster recently.

The meeting, organized by a organization running a “Suicide is Homicide” campaign to advocate for reform in the criminal justice system, united relatives who had lost loved ones to suicide following family violence.

Personal Stories of Loss

One mother lost her daughter her 23-year-old daughter in spring 2023. Before her death, the young woman had reported her ex-boyfriend to authorities, submitting a lengthy recorded statement as evidence about his conduct.

Following her passing, the perpetrator was convicted of manipulative and domineering conduct and jailed for over three years. He was later sentenced for an additional term after a second woman came forward to report that she had been in a harmful partnership with him.

After Chloe’s death, the parent decided to campaign for a legal change to bring perpetrators accountable; however she then discovered that laws were existing, they just were rarely applied to achieve convictions.

“I concluded it wasn’t a fresh legislation I required as current statutes were in place, and after learning how much my daughter had been let down previous to her taking her life by the authorities and numerous services, they had to fulfill their duties, and things required reform,” she said.

“More than four dozen relatives have contacted me and just a handful of us have had a guilty verdict,” she added. “I was astonished to see so many families who have been battling the police and prosecution service for a long time and getting no justice for their offspring or brother or sister and didn’t have a voice in case it impacted investigations that were not progressing.”

Further Heartbreaking Account

Saskia Lightburn Richie’s child Hannah died 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, deeply devoted mother to her two children, and she died by suicide after two years in a partnership where she was systematically destroyed by her partner,” she said.

“She endured physical assaults, she was psychologically tortured, she was controlled and broken down gradually until she was unable to envision a way forward. The individual who did this to her walked free, because we call it suicide, we conclude the case and we proceed.

“Yet I was unable to continue,” she said, “and I have not managed to move on. 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 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 passing. The domestic homicide review, which I had to fight for, required five years and had no impact. A four day inquest determined self-inflicted death, despite substantial proof over a very traumatic multi-day session of family violence and shortcomings by various agencies.”

The mother told the meeting that for eight years she has “been fighting a establishment that ignores what is obvious”.

She emphasized the self-inflicted death is murder campaign was critical “because when an individual dies by suicide after they’ve endured domestic abuse, we have to investigate it for what it truly represents, which is murder.

“We must use the legislation we currently have properly and it is not occurring at the present, and we need to hold abusers accountable for driving their victims to death.

“We have the laws. We require determination, we need police to conduct thorough inquiries. We need the prosecution authority to prosecute. We need judges to understand that words and control can cause death just as much as hands and weapons.”

Government Reaction

At a second meeting in the House of Commons, led by a opposition politician, and including 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 decision, they opted for this, when, in truth, these were the culmination of in fact, somebody else’s violence, and these are not isolated stories.”

“The legal system is flawed, we know that,” she stated. “Particularly around murder or manslaughter, it is fragmented. It lacks statutory basis regardless, it has been shaped with common law practices for centuries, and it is no longer fit for purpose, honestly, given the society we inhabit today.

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

Prosecution Service Statement

A spokesperson for the legal body said: “Family violence is a heinous offense and our prosecutors are actively advised to evaluate homicide allegations in suicide cases where there is a established background of domestic abuse or other manipulative conduct.

“We have in the past prosecuted a several individuals for leading to the fatality of a partner they abused, including in cases which are currently active.

“We are collaborating with law enforcement and other stakeholders to guarantee these kinds of offences are clearly recognized – so that we can bring perpetrators to justice for the full extent of their wrongdoings.”