More domestic abusers will be charged with manslaughter when victims end their own lives, police have pledged after figures showed suicides continue to outnumber intimate partner killings.
For the second year running, the most common cause of death among victims in England and Wales was suspected suicide, an annual national police report on domestic homicides revealed.
Louisa Rolfe, national policing lead for domestic abuse, said the 1,012 domestic abuse-related deaths recorded in the past four years was a ‘grim milestone’ and ‘shows how deeply ingrained violence against women and girls is in our communities’.
Of those, 354 were classified as suspected victim suicide following domestic abuse (SVSDA). However, only 12 cases saw charges brought against a suspect, including one – Ryan Wellings – for manslaughter. That represents just 3% of abusers being charged.
Ms Rolfe said it is ‘heartening’ that more police investigations are being launched into fatalities following domestic abuse.
‘I’ve met some incredibly impressive families who have felt they themselves have needed to investigate after their loved one’s death, and that’s wrong, because that’s our job, and we must do that,’ she added.
In the most recent year, to March 2024, 98 of the 262 domestic abuse-related deaths were classified as suspected victim suicide following domestic abuse. There were 80 intimate partner homicides.
Metro has been fighting the tide of violence with our This Is Not Right campaign.
This Is Not Right
On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a year-long campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women.
With the help of our partners at Women's Aid, This Is Not Right aims to shine a light on the sheer scale of this national emergency.
You can find more articles here, and if you want to share your story with us, you can send us an email at vaw@metro.co.uk.
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While police chiefs say the increase in suspected victim suicides following domestic abuse is due to improvements in recording rather than a rise in the number of such cases, experts and campaigners have continually warned it is the ‘tip of the iceberg’.
Ellie Butt, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Refuge, said: ‘Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is at epidemic levels, so the findings of today’s report sadly come as no surprise.
This Is Not Right
On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a year-long campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women.
With the help of our partners at Women's Aid, This Is Not Right aims to shine a light on the sheer scale of this national emergency.
You can find more articles here, and if you want to share your story with us, you can send us an email at vaw@metro.co.uk.
Read more:
‘The high number of both homicides and suicides underscores what we already know about the horrific prevalence of domestic abuse. However, we expect these figures to represent only the tip of the iceberg as suicides caused by domestic abuse continue to be severely under-reported.
‘Over the past four years, coercive and controlling behaviour has consistently been identified as one of the biggest risk factors in relation to deaths caused by domestic abuse perpetrators.
‘As a society, we cannot afford to continue trivialising coercive control when it’s devastating consequences are so clear.’
The figures from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) also reveal most of the recorded deaths might have been prevented.
In more than half of domestic homicides (54%), the perpetrator was already known to the police.
And the report found that in 90% of suicides involving a history of coercive and controlling behaviour, the suspect had previous contact with partner agencies.
How to seek help if you feel you are being driven to self-harm as a result of domestic abuse
If the worst happens, contact AAFDA for free support and specialist advocacy, via email at help@aafda.org.uk or call 07887 488 464
Samaritans are available on 116 123 or at www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
Women’s Aid said: ‘It is important that survivors know that they are not alone, and that organisations like Women’s Aid are here to listen and provide support. If you, or someone you know, has experienced domestic abuse and you need help, please reach out to Women’s Aid via our Live Chat or email our Direct Services Team.’
Local support can be found by using their Domestic Abuse Directory
Other useful links:
National Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0808 2000 247 (free phone run by Refuge)
The Men’s Advice Line, for male domestic abuse survivors – 0808 801 0327 (run by Respect)
The Mix, free information and support for under 25s in the UK – 0808 808 4994
National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0800 999 5428 (run by Galop)
Live Free from Fear Helpline – 0808 8010 800 (run by Welsh Women’s Aid this helpline supports men and women and provides support in English and Welsh)
Rights of Women advice lines, there are a range of services available
Suicide prevention researcher Tim Woodhouse said: ‘Statistical analysis like this police report is effective in bringing the issue to our attention, but it won’t reduce the number of victims dying, unless we take action.
‘These deaths are a hidden national scandal that have been ignored for too long. We need an immediate step change in the way victims of domestic abuse are supported.
‘Historically, and understandably, the focus has primarily been on reducing the risk of harm from the perpetrator, but this needs to change now and victims must also be supported to reduce the risk of suicide.’
In the first comprehensive study of domestic abuse-related suicides and their aftermath, Mr Woodhouse made more than 60 recommendations, including embedding mental health clinicians in every domestic abuse service, and vice versa.
He also calls for a national taskforce comprising people with lived experience, charities, academics, politicians, policy officials and local services to develop an action plan on how to begin dealing with the problem.
‘This is too big of an issue to be ignored and we need as many people with the widest possible set of experiences and knowledge to come together to tackle it,’ he said.
Sarah Davidge, Head of Research and Evaluation at Women’s Aid, said the UK’s specialist domestic abuse services are under extreme strain due to being ‘chronically underfunded’.
She continued: ‘This report shows the human cost of leaving behind critical services to operate on shoestring budgets.
‘Women and children are being turned away in their time of need—forcing them to return to an abusive partner or parent and putting even greater strain on already struggling public services, including the NHS.’
While welcoming the government’s ambition to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, Sarah said ‘sustained, adequate funding’ for such services is needed for a ‘truly effective response to this national emergency’.
The report by the Domestic Homicide Project also examined 22 deaths of domestic abuse victims who fell from a height between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2024.
Three women were pregnant at the time of their deaths, and in 15 cases the suspect was present when they fell.
The 22 cases were classed as eight suspected victim suicides following domestic abuse; six unexpected deaths; five intimate partner homicides and three adult family homicides.
Ms Rolfe urged officers to make sure they thoroughly investigate domestic abuse deaths involving a fall from height that may be staged suicides or accidents.
‘Working with families, they were particularly concerned about, are the police missing homicides, and are perpetrators getting away with murdering somebody, but setting it up to look like a suicide?’ Ms Rolfe said.
‘We’ve been keen to understand what might be going on. I don’t think police are missing homicides that are staged suicide.
‘However, it’s very clear that there is more for us to do to be really curious about what’s happened, to ensure that evidence at the scene of an incident is very thoroughly captured and explored, that the status of somebody purporting to be a partner is really thoroughly understood, and that we are really searching and are seeking to understand what’s gone on.’
Pregnant Fawziyah Javed, 31, died when she was pushed from Arthur’s Seat by her abusive partner Kashif Anwar, who falsely claimed he had slipped and bumped into her while the couple were on holiday in 2021.
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Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women & Girls, Jess Phillips said: ‘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.
‘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.’
Need support?
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
Their HOPELINE247 is open every day of the year, 24 hours a day. You can call 0800 068 4141, text 88247 or email: pat@papyrus-uk.org.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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