Portsmouth mother calls for stronger penalties for domestic abuse perpetrators
A Portsmouth mother says stronger penalties could help prevent more domestic abuse cases
A Portsmouth woman whose daughter died by suicide after domestic abuse's calling for stronger penalties for perpetrators.
It's as a national police report's released showing a drive in recorded deaths linked to domestic abuse in the past year.
Sharon Holland's daughter Chloe died three years ago and is telling us tougher charges could help prevent deaths and domestic abuse cases.
She said: "It's so important to get cases over the line so these perpetrators see they're not going to get away with it.
"It could potentially put them off going as far as they do and prevent it.
"But whilst there's very short sentences for coercive control, they haven't learnt anything.
"They will walk out of prison and they will do it again."
Claire Lambon's CEO of Stop Domestic Abuse and says there are more deaths by suicide in domestic abuse cases than in homicide.
She said: "For the third year running, suicides after domestic abuse we believe to have outstripped homicides.
"We think last year that there were 347 deaths, of which 150 were definitely from suicide, but these numbers are likely to be an underestimate.
"All bereaved families are left without justice, watching their loved ones' experience of abuse be overlooked, dismissed or not fully recognised.
"That pain can only compound their grief.
"When a criminal justice system fails to name and respond to domestic abuse as a driving factor behind suicide, it doesn't just let families down, it leaves them without justice.
"It leaves those who abuse to continue with impunity, quite often carrying on and abusing others - putting more lives at risk."