Suicide is Homicide.

Project Resist is campaigning alongside families affected by suicide in the context of domestic abuse.

"No one is stopping and asking why this happened. We shouldn't have to fight so hard for some justice when what happened is this obvious."

— Rita, sister of Jasmine (died January 2023)

These are the words of Rita whose sister Jasmine died in January 2023 against a history of ongoing violence and coercive control by her partner. Throughout her relationship with him, Jasmine was subjected to a catalogue of escalating abuse including severe sexual violence, rape, and attempted strangulation. She had reported him to police multiple times. Matters came to a head when he told Jasmine to "go hang herself to make everyone's life better". She was found hanging in her home the next day, but there was a complete failure by the police and inquest system to investigate her death as a domestic abuse related suicide.

The scale of the issue

It is estimated that three women die each week from suicide due to experiencing domestic abuse, and the numbers appear to be rising. According to the latest figures released by the Domestic Homicide Project, there were 1,012 domestic abuse-related deaths in England and Wales between 2020 and 2024, of which 354 were suspected suicides compared to 332 recorded homicides.

Between April 2023 and March 2024 alone, there were 98 suspected suicides versus 80 recorded homicides. In the previous 12 months: 93 suspected suicides versus 83 recorded homicides. For the first time, death by suicide has overtaken intimate partner homicides.

The Campaign

Bereaved families from diverse backgrounds have come together with Project Resist to build a campaign demanding justice for loved ones who have taken their lives in the context of domestic abuse (including coercive and controlling behaviour). Testimonies from the families highlight systemic and ongoing failures on the part of the police, the wider criminal justice system and other agencies — both in failing to investigate the deaths as potential homicides and in failing to adequately protect the victims while they were alive.

The Failure of the Criminal Justice System

The families' testimonies reveal disturbing themes of indifference and neglect on the part of the police in their investigations following a domestic abuse related suicide.

Two related issues have clearly emerged:

a failure to investigate wider histories of domestic abuse because of a failure to recognise underlying dynamics of abuse and coercive control;
a consequent failure to conduct a thorough investigation of a death as a potential homicide, leading to a failure to consider charges of manslaughter where appropriate.

Outcomes are often limited to coercive control charges, frequently delayed until after inquests, and frequently fail to reflect the gravity of the offending behaviour and its impact on victims.

Families wait years for state accountability, and very often the response comes too late for corrective action. The root issue involves structural and systemic problems in domestic abuse responses, not gaps in police powers or criminal law. Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe (Metropolitan Police, NPCC domestic abuse lead) has acknowledged that investigators miss obvious coercive control patterns in too many cases, needing to be "really curious" and thoroughly capture scene evidence. This recognition is welcome but insufficient — Domestic Homicide Reviews demonstrate that the police failures reflect serious structural and systemic issues.

Justice and the Inquest System

Historically, the specific form of violence against women and men seen in cases of domestic abuse related suicides has always been ignored or inadequately addressed by the criminal justice system because of entrenched indifference, neglect and a culture of refusal to investigate on the part of the police. As a result, bereaved families have had to use the inquest system in order to seek some semblance of scrutiny.

However, outcomes depend heavily on the quality of legal representation, and coroners often restrict the inquest scope, focusing on "how" rather than "why" the victim died.

Notable inquest cases that have returned unlawful killing conclusions include:

Jessica Laverack (2022)
Roisin Hunter Bennett (2022)
Kellie Sutton (2024)
Keina Dawes (2025)

These cases highlight the connections between suicide and domestic abuse, and demonstrate the continued dissatisfaction of bereaved families with the criminal justice system. Without addressing the demands of this campaign, too many victims and their families will continue to be seriously failed.

Our 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 — with a presumption that such suicides should be investigated as potential homicides from the outset, unless clear rebuttal evidence emerges.
A recognition to a similar effect in CPS policy and guidance, ensuring that police investigating any such case of suicide receive appropriate support from prosecutors.
A recognition in sentencing guidelines that, upon conviction of anyone 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 warranting appropriate sentencing.
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 multi-agency sectors.
An educational preventative program across the statutory and specialist sectors to ensure an understanding of the high-risk indicators of suicidal ideation and the concrete steps required to protect victims.
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 navigating police investigation, criminal prosecution, and/or inquest processes.
The adequate provision of specialist and holistic advocacy and counselling services to support vulnerable adults to exit from abuse safely and rebuild fear-free lives.

Family Endorsement

Seventeen families representing their lost loved ones are at the heart of this campaign:

Sharon Holland (mother of Chloe Holland, 6.3.23)
Rachel Whiting (sister of Sarah Jane Whiting, 12.4.23)
Debbie Hood (mother of Kerry Louise Hensby, 9.8.20)
Pamela Taylor (mother of Kellie Marie Sutton, 26.8.17)
Phyllis Daly (mother of Jessica Laverack, 2.2.18)
Asha Jackson (sister of Zoe McDonald, 7.1.23)
Sinead Gibson (mother of Diva Gibson, 10.5.2020)
Teresa Hunter (mother of Matthew Dudley Hunter, 16.10.21)
Philippa (sister of Richard Barker, 2.9.19)
Nikki Crookes (mother of Louie Powell, 21.11.21)
Margaret Hunter (mother of Roisin Hunter Bennett, 16.3.22)
Jackie (mother of Louise, 6.11.2018)
Sarah Wingrove (sister of Leanne Allen, 23.4.23)
Sharon Walker (mother of Rachel Louise Walker, 15.3.20)
Andi Wilkinson (mother of Kara-Leigh Wilkinson, 5.8.23)
Helen Simpson (mother of Demi Hannaway, 13.5.21)
Donna Gibney (mother of Ashleigh Louise Inskip, 6.7.2021)

Campaign Supporters

This campaign is supported by over 70 organisations, including:

Advance · Angelou Centre · Apna Haq · Ashiana Network · Asian Women's Resource Centre · Aurora New Dawn · Basira · Centre for Women's Justice · Changing Pathways · Createful · Cris McCurley (Solicitor) · Crossroads Derbyshire · Dr Jane Krishnadas (Keele University) · East Surrey Domestic Abuse Services · Gilgal · Hull Sisters · Humraaz · IDAS · Idle Women · IKWRO · Independent Choices Greater Manchester · Jewish Women's Aid · Juno Women's Aid · Karma Nirvana · Key Charity · Leeds Women's Aid · Lotus Domestic Abuse Recovery Programme · Men's Share Listening Group · Mercia Women's Aid · MEWSO · My CWA Cheshire · My Sisters Place · My Sisters' House · NDAS · NE Lincolnshire Women's Aid · Oasis Domestic Abuse Service · On Eggshells · One Law for All/CEMB · Pathway Project Lichfield · Professor Mary Davis · Raggi Kotak (Barrister) · Rahila Sharif · Rise UK · Rising Sun Domestic Violence and Abuse Service · Rochdale Women's Welfare Association · Safe in Sussex · Safety4Sisters North West · Saheli · Salford Women's Aid · Sangini · SATEDA · Sheffield Women's Aid · Solace Women's Aid · Southall Black Sisters · Staffordshire Women's Aid · Staying Put · Stepping Stones Luton · Sutton Women's Centre · The First Step · The Pankhurst Trust · Tim Woodhouse (Churchill Fellow) · Tina's Haven · Trafford Domestic Abuse Service · Ubuntu Women Shelter · UK Ex Female Prisoner's Project · Vida Sheffield · We are Survivors · Wearside Women in Need · Woman's Trust · Women's Budget Group · Women's Resource Centre · Wycombe Women's Aid · Yasmin Rehman · Your Sanctuary.

Campaign Updates

Following our successful launch of the Suicide is Homicide campaign in October 2025, Project Resist — in partnership with Sharon Holland of the Her Name was Chloe Holland Campaign and affected families — has continued to engage with policy-makers to drive change. Changes in policing and prosecution are needed 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), Kate Brown (Chief Crown Prosecutor and Domestic Abuse Lead at the Crown Prosecution Service) and 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 You Can Do

Watch our campaign video on the [Events page](/events).
Email [comms@projectresist.org.uk](mailto:comms@projectresist.org.uk) to be added to our newsletter for updates.
Email [comms@projectresist.org.uk](mailto:comms@projectresist.org.uk) to add your organisation to our campaign supporters.

Contact & Media

For further information please contact comms@projectresist.org.uk.