Lancashire campaign pushes for legal changes to address domestic abuse-related deaths
Call for new law to better recognise cases linked to domestic abuse
Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive Grunshaw, alongside national charity Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse (AAFDA), have called for urgent changes to the law regarding domestic abuse-related deaths.
They have written to the Lord Chancellor and Home Secretary following a high-level parliamentary roundtable in Westminster. The event brought together bereaved families, legal experts, parliamentarians, and policing leaders to discuss whether current legal provisions sufficiently address justice in these cases.
The letter highlights concerns that existing legal offences, such as manslaughter and assisting or encouraging suicide, fail to adequately acknowledge instances where constant coercive and controlling behaviour is a factor in a victim's decision to take their own life.
Commissioner Grunshaw and AAFDA advocate for the establishment of a new standalone criminal offence to better represent the link between domestic abuse and suicide. The change aims to enhance accountability and ensure families receive the justice deserved.
Clive Grunshaw expressed: “We are increasingly seeing cases where domestic abuse, particularly coercive and controlling behaviour, plays a significant role in someone taking their own life. Yet too often, those deaths are not fully recognised in law.
“That cannot be right. Families are left without answers, and perpetrators are not held properly to account.
“We need a legal framework that reflects the reality victims face. Creating a new offence would help ensure these cases are understood, prosecuted effectively, and taken seriously at every stage of the justice system."
Grunshaw emphasised ongoing efforts in Lancashire to improve investigations and support affected individuals while urging national change to address the legal gaps and save lives.
Frank Mullane MBE, Chief Executive of AAFDA, noted: “The current system does not adequately hold offenders to account in cases where domestic abuse leads to death, and families are too often left without justice.
“We are delighted to work with the Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner to drive this issue forward and build the case for change.”
The roundtable included testimonies from bereaved families, highlighting challenges they face within a system that does not fully recognise the impact of domestic abuse on these deaths.
Looking forward, work in Lancashire continues to improve the identification and investigation of suspected domestic abuse-related deaths, alongside ongoing partnerships with organisations like AAFDA.
This effort precedes an event in July intended to gather representatives from policing, government, academia, and the third sector, aimed at advancing the national conversation on how domestic abuse-related deaths are acknowledged and managed within the justice system.