Perpetrators of domestic abuse whose victims die by suicide are more likely to be charged with manslaughter police say.
On Tuesday, the third report from the National Domestic Homicide Project found that the most common cause of death for victims of domestic abuse is suicide. This is for the second year running. 98 women died by suspected suicide following domestic abuse in the year 2023/24.
Moving forward, police say more investigations will be launched into fatalities following domestic abuse.
Suspected victim suicide following domestic abuse (SVSDA) is common with 354 occurring in the last four years. Only 12 of the SVSDA incidents ended in charges.
Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, who is the national policing lead for domestic abuse, said: “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,”
This increased number of suicides is due to an increase in reporting and documenting.
Rolfe also urged investigators to take extra caution when investigating suspected suicides following SVSDA, especially if the victim fell from a height. This is to ensure the ‘suicide’ was not staged by the abuser.
In 2021 Fawziyah Javed, who was pregnant at the time, was killed by her abusive partner Kashif Anwar. Anwar pushed her off Arthur’s Seat and then falsely claimed he had slipped and bumped her causing her to accidentally fall.
Between April 1, 2020, and 31 March 2024, there were 1012 SVSDA deaths, 501 of which were domestic homicides, and 354 were SVSDA.
