Only 3 per cent of domestic abusers whose victims took their own lives have faced criminal charges in the past four years, figures show.
A report found that the number of victims driven to suicide has outstripped those killed by their partner for the second year running, yet such abusers are still rarely held to account.
A tragic 98 victims took their own lives between April 2023 and March 2024, compared with 80 who were killed by a current or former partner and 39 who were killed by a family member.
This brings the total number of domestic-abuse-related deaths to 1012 since 2020, according to the government-funded Domestic Homicide Project, including 354 suspected suicides following domestic abuse.
Nine in 10 perpetrators in the cases where victims are suspected to have died by suicide were known to police as potential abusers. Despite this, only 12 have faced criminal charges and only one was charged with manslaughter over their victim’s death. Other charges included common assault, controlling or coercive behaviour, actual bodily harm (ABH) and harassment.
Police have said they expect manslaughter charges to increase with new guidance that urges officers to check for a history of domestic abuse when they respond to unexpected deaths.
Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for domestic abuse, said that in the past, investigators have “missed obvious patterns” of abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour.
But the Home Office-funded research has shown a “significant link” between domestic abuse and suicide.
“We absolutely want to do everything we can, where there’s justice to be had, to ensure every opportunity is taken to pursue justice,” said Assistant Commissioner Rolfe.
She said new guidance means that officers responding to unexpected deaths should be asking questions about any history of abuse to ensure that “every possible line of inquiry” is followed, although she noted that there are “challenges” in proving a causal link between abuse and suicide.
Earlier this year, Preston Crown Court heard how young mother Kiena Dawes left a suicide note blaming her abusive partner before she took her own life.
Ryan Wellings was convicted of assault and coercive and controlling behaviour towards Dawes after a six-week trial, but was cleared of her manslaughter.
Grieving mother Sharon Holland, whose daughter Chloe Holland, 23, died after suffering a year of torment at the hands of an abusive partner, has repeatedly called for more to be done to ensure that abusers are held to account after victim suicides.
She believes the scale of the problem is “far higher” than the latest figures show, and called for better counselling and mental health support for victims.
In Holland’s case, Marc Masterton was jailed in 2023 for 41 months for coercive and controlling behaviour, but the CPS felt there was insufficient evidence to pursue manslaughter charges. His former partner came forward after hearing of Chloe’s death, and he was jailed for a further 43 months last year.
Assistant Commissioner Rolfe called for a focus on prevention, with help from other agencies including social services and mental health teams, adding: “The data reinforces the critical need for policing to work with other agencies to identify those at risk of being [either] a perpetrator or a victim of domestic abuse.
“A preventative approach is the only way to stop the widespread harm of domestic abuse in all its forms.”
Jess Phillips, the minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, added: “Every death related to domestic abuse is a life cut short and a devastating tragedy. The better we understand the links between domestic abuse and homicides, suicides and unexpected deaths, the better equipped we are to prevent them from happening in the first place. That’s why the government has funded this vital research to shine a light on the scale of the problem.
“This report rightly demands coordinated action across government, police and partner agencies to tackle these issues head on – and we are already cracking on with work to put the voices of victims, their families and friends, and key stakeholders front and centre of this.
“Our upcoming violence against women and girls strategy will set out our ambition, and concrete actions to strengthen our response to perpetrators and deliver on our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.”
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you
