SUICIDE IS HOMICIDE CAMPAIGN UPDATES

Justice for all victims of domestic abuse-related suicides

Watch our new Campaign Video and listen to Project Resist’s Director Pragna Patel, Sharon Holland (Her Name Was Chloe Holland Campaign) and the families themselves explain why our campaign is so urgent.

Campaign Update: January 2026

Following our successful launch of the Suicide is Homicide campaign in October 2025, Project Resist in partnership with Sharon Holland (Her Name was Chloe Holland Campaign), together with affected families, have been continuing to engage with policy-makers to drive change.

Changes in policing and prosecution are needed in order to ensure justice for those driven to suicide as a result of abuse. Our campaign aims to ensure that every suicide linked to domestic abuse is investigated as a potential homicide.

The launch was covered throughout mainstream media, including the Guardian ,  ITV and Sky News.

Since the launch, we have had useful meetings with the Crown Prosecution Service and police. Louisa Rolfe, National Policing Lead for domestic abuse, with Kate Brown, Chief Crown Prosecutor and Domestic Abuse lead at the Crown Prosecution Service, and with Graham Ritchie, Deputy Director for strategy and policy at the Crown Prosecution Service have all been receptive to our recommendations for changes to the way that domestic abuse-related suicides are investigated.

We are looking forward to steering further discussions and action to ensure change. This campaign will continue until we see justice for all those affected by this issue.

What can you do?

·      Catch up with the campaign launch now on the video above.

·      Email comms@projectresist.org.uk to be added to our newsletter list for updates

·      Email comms@projectresist.org.uk to add your organisation to our campaign supporters

Campaign Demands

  • A clear and unequivocal recognition in police policy and procedural guidance that suicide in the context of any evidence of domestic abuse may be a potential homicide, i.e. a presumption that any such suicide should be investigated as a potential homicide from the outset until and unless there is clear evidence to rebut that presumption.

  • A recognition to a similar effect in CPS policy and guidance in order to ensure that police investigating any such case of suicide receive appropriate support from prosecutors.

  • A recognition in sentencing guidelines that, upon conviction of anyone accused of homicide in any such case of suicide, the context of domestic abuse (including coercive and controlling behaviour) should be seen as a particularly egregious aggravating factor attracting an appropriate sentence.

  • An explicit commitment in policy and guidance to ensure that links between suicide and domestic abuse are recognised and addressed consistently across the statutory and specialist sectors involved in multi-agency responses to any such case of suicide.

  • An educational preventative program across the statutory and specialist sectors to ensure an understanding of the high-risk indictors of suicidal ideation and the concrete steps required to protect a potential victim of such suicide.  

  • Non-means tested legal aid for the bereaved family in any such case of suicide to ensure they have access to free legal advice and support to help navigate their way through the complex processes of the police investigation and any ensuing criminal prosecution and/or inquest.

  • The adequate provision of specialist and holistic advocacy and counselling services to support vulnerable adults to exit from abuse safely and to rebuild their lives free from fear and harm.  

Further Contact & Media

     Website links for further information: https://domesticabuserelatedsuicide.org

Her Name Was Chloe Holland links: https://linktr.ee/hernamewaschloeholland