Revealed: The true toll of female suicides in UK with domestic abuse at their core | Domestic violence

The number of women driven to suicide by domestic abusers is under-reported and their cases are overlooked by the police; This situation is described by experts as a “national scandal”.

Domestic violence suicides are already increasing at such a rate that a woman in an abusive relationship is now more likely to take her own life than to be killed by her partner.

But research into the number of women who commit suicide in such situations has suggested that official statistics may track as little as 10% of the actual number of cases.

According to the Domestic Homicide Project, a program led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), there were 98 suspected suicides following domestic violence in 2024, compared to 80 intimate partner homicides.

But research by a suicide prevention program in Kent found that 33% of all suspected suicides in the area between 2018 and 2024 were influenced by domestic violence.

If figures in Kent reflect the national picture, this could mean up to 900 victims of domestic violence take their own lives each year; this number could be up to 10 times greater than previously thought.

Program manager and University of Kent academic Tim Woodhouse, who led the research, said: “We need some sort of national task force to tackle this issue,” adding that it was “crazy that we’re basing national estimates on the evidence of a single researcher.”

He said his study “tried to open people’s eyes to the fact that this happens much more often than people think, that it’s a national scandal in terms of numbers.”

He said the data collected by the NPCC was a “good start” but “they don’t count the majority of true suicides, they have very strict exclusion criteria so they vastly understate the figure.”

Recording domestic suicides is just one part of campaigners’ push for a more thorough investigation of the causes of death in these cases. In UK legal history, we have only one conviction for manslaughter where a woman died by suicide following domestic violence.

Lawyers believe the figure also suggests coroners may have been too hasty in ruling the deaths as suicides without adequately considering whether they were unlawful homicides.

Campaigners have called for all suicides where domestic abuse is suspected to be investigated as possible murder from the outset, to ensure the best evidence is collected and preserved, and for further multi-agency work to protect victims from abusers in the first place.

To illustrate the scale of the crisis, the Guardian is running a series of articles about people, mostly women, who have died by suicide following domestic violence.

In the Georgia Barter case, her suicide after a decade-long campaign at the hands of her former partner Thomas Bignell was ruled an unlawful killing by the coroner.

An inquest in Walthamstow, north-east London, heard evidence that Bignell had kicked, stamped and sexually assaulted Barter, but he was never charged with any offenses in relation to the alleged abuse. Despite the coroner’s findings, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) previously said there was insufficient evidence to lay charges.

Today we also reveal the Katie Madden case. At the inquest, his former partner Jonathon Russell admitted giving Madden a black eye and telling him to commit suicide hours before his death. No criminal investigation has been launched into Russell’s role in Madden’s death.

In most cases, prosecutors see no basis for investigating misconduct following a domestic violence suicide and fail to file any criminal charges. This means that people alleging abuse are rarely investigated for crimes such as violence or coercive control, despite the wealth of evidence often presented to the coroner during an inquest. Families also stated that police abandoned domestic violence investigations after the victim’s death.

Pragna Patel of Project Resist said: “Too many bereaved families who have lost loved ones to suicide related to domestic violence are being failed by a criminal justice system that is not fit for purpose.” His organization brought together grieving families to launch a campaign for change in the criminal justice system.

“The root of injustice is not the failure of education, the absence of ‘vocational curiosity’ or the absence of laws, but a systemic culture of discrimination, arrogance, indifference and indifference,” he added.

More recently, there have been joint efforts by the NPCC and the Crown Prosecution Service to bring charges in such cases.

There are currently two men on trial for manslaughter following a domestic violence suicide, and both organizations have stressed they are willing to take more cases to court.

But lawyers, campaigners and families said there were problems arising from individual police forces and officers failing to understand the impact of domestic violence or inadequately investigating cases in the immediate aftermath of a death.

“Unfortunately, police forces too often miss opportunities to curb the rise of domestic abuse and protect victims,” said Kate Ellis, head of joint litigation at the Women’s Justice Centre.

“Too often we see police forces failing to take any criminal action against perpetrators or disregarding the protective measures that could be put in place, even when domestic violence cases are assessed as high risk. These mistakes can have fatal consequences.”

“We believe that some suicides related to domestic violence are preventable, especially in cases where police detect abuse,” he added. “Coercive and controlling relationships tend to follow similar patterns, so it is vital that police identify these patterns and take action quickly.

“We are also concerned that many suicides in domestic violence incidents are not recognized or investigated by police as potential homicides, even when there is significant evidence of prior domestic violence.”

Southall Black Sisters have been campaigning for abuse-related suicide to be recognized as murder for more than 40 years and have introduced an amendment to the crime and policing bill with the support of more than 50 MPs.

The organization specifically expressed concern about the possible overrepresentation of suicide due to domestic violence and “honour”-based abuse in black, minority and immigrant communities.

“Women in these communities have additional hurdles to overcome to escape abuse caused by the intersection of racism and misogyny,” said Hannana Siddiqui, director of policy, campaigns and research.

To date, there has been only one conviction for manslaughter in the death of a woman by suicide following domestic violence. Nicholas Allen pleaded guilty to the charge after his former partner Justene Reece committed suicide in 2017. She had stalked Allen after he left her and moved to a women’s shelter.

In March, Ryan Wellings was cleared of the manslaughter of Kiena Dawes by a jury at Preston crown court. Dawes committed suicide by leaving the following note on his phone: “Slowly… Ryan Wellings killed me.” Wellings was found guilty of assault and coercive and controlling behavior and was sentenced to six and a half years in prison.

Georgia Barter’s mother, Kay, said: “It’s been almost six long, heartbreaking years since I lost my beautiful daughter Georgia. The fight for justice still continues. I want to ask this government ‘when did this country stop respecting or protecting women and girls?’ Now is the time to show them that you care.”

He added: “The only successful conviction for manslaughter, in which a person’s partner died by suicide, was almost a decade ago in 2017. This is shocking. I’m sure I speak for myself and the countless bereaved families out there; we are demanding change now.”

Frank Mullane, of campaign group Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse (AAFDA), said: “Relying on the police to improve their investigations and the CPS to optimize prosecution may not be enough to ensure perpetrators face justice after domestic violence-related suicides.

“The defense team will exploit even the slightest mention of mental health issues and the jury may struggle to convict of manslaughter. A new law specific to suicide resulting from domestic violence will make it easier for juries to determine causation. This will give the CPS confidence in prosecuting and educate the public.”