Domestic abuse deaths may have been mistaken as suicides with women either driven to take their own lives by the ongoing abuse or even had their murders covered-up by their killers, victim's families fear. The concern comes as a new report shows 1,000 domestic abuse victims have lost their lives in just four years in what the national police chief tasked with ending the escalating problem has branded an “incomprehensible” tragedy.

The numbers are being driven by a continued rise in domestic abuse victims taking their own lives with suicides having more than doubled in the past three years. To combat the rise more domestic abusers whose victims die by suicide will be charged with manslaughter, Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe has vowed. The annual national police report on domestic homicides published today reveals that the most common cause of death among victims in England and Wales in the year to the end of March 2024 was suspected suicide for the second year running.

The issue was highlighted most recently in the case of Ryan Wellings, who was cleared of the manslaughter of Kiena Dawes but convicted of domestic abuse.

AC Rolfe, who is national policing lead for domestic abuse, said more perpetrators will be charged with manslaughter following their victims’ deaths.

She said it is “heartening” that more police investigations are being launched into fatalities following domestic abuse but families fear previous cases may have been missed.

AC Rolfe 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.

“But I’ve also met families who’ve had a great service from investigators who’ve worked incredibly hard and still may or may not have secured a conviction.

“It’s really important and it’s heartening to see that we are seeing more and more cases under investigation following a death.”

She also urged officers to make sure they thoroughly investigate domestic abuse deaths involving a fall from height that may be staged suicides or accidents.

“Working with families, they were particularly concerned about, are the police missing homicides, and are perpetrators getting away with murdering somebody, but setting it up to look like a suicide,” she added.

“We’ve been keen to understand what might be going on. I don’t think police are missing homicides that are staged suicide.

“However, it’s very clear that there is more for us to do to be really curious about what’s happened, to ensure that evidence at the scene of an incident is very thoroughly captured and explored, that the status of somebody purporting to be a partner is really thoroughly understood, and that we are really searching and are seeking to understand what’s gone on.”

The report reveals 262 people died in England and Wales as a result of domestic abuse in the year to March 2024.

The study examines the scale and nature of domestic abuse-related deaths over the past 12 months and across a four-year period and found that in 68% of cases either victims or their killers were previously known to the authorities – sparking calls for better intervention to save lives.

This year, specific research was also undertaken to examine deaths where someone had fallen from

height in partnership with the Killed Women Network. This follows concerns about deaths may have been hidden such as the murder of pregnant Fawziyah Javed, 29, who was pushed to her death by her abusive husband Kashif Anwar, 29, from Edinburgh’s Arthur’s Seat in 2021. Anwar attempted to hoodwink police that she slipped and fell before being caught out by his lies and jailed for 20 years.

Of the 262 deaths recorded, 98 were suspected suicide following domestic abuse compared with 80 directly killed by their partners, a further 39 by a family member and 11 child deaths.

A further six deaths resulted from the victim and killer living together but not being related or in an intimate relationship.

Of 22 cases of deaths due to a fall from height recorded across 13 forces during a four-year period, 36% were recorded as suspected suicides following domestic abuse, 27% were unexpected deaths, 23% intimate partner murders and 14% adult family homicides.

Of the 22 victims, three were pregnant and in 70% of cases the suspect was arrested

Over four years (1 April 2020 – 31 March 2024), the number of people killed by their current

or previous partner consistently represents around a third of domestic abuse-related deaths each year.

AC Rolfe said: “The sustained nature of domestic homicide shows how deeply ingrained violence against women and girls is in our communities.

“The Domestic Homicide Project has now recorded over 1000 domestic abuse-related death across a four-year period. The scale and impact is incomprehensible and as a society, we cannot delay action to prevent future deaths.”

Addressing the growing concern about suicides AC Rolfe said: “The nature of coercive controlling behaviour, they bombard victims with thousands upon thousands of text messages, they are contacted relentlessly and told they are worth nothing. When you look at all this it’s unsurprising that people are in a desperate place and feel that there’s nowhere to turn.

“And when we look at domestic homicide and suicide we see common patterns of behaviour in both types of cases, where perpetrators will work to isolate all those that they love and trust and will tell them that the behaviour is wrong.”

The report calls for an enhanced multi-agency response that spans the wider criminal justice system, healthcare and local authorities such as social services.

AC Rolfe added: “The data reinforces the critical need for policing to work with other agencies to identify those at risk of being both a perpetrator or a victim of domestic abuse. A preventative approach is the only way to stop the widespread harm of domestic abuse in all its forms.”

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women & Girls, Jess Phillips said: "Every death related to domestic abuse is a life cut short and a devastating tragedy. The better we understand the links between domestic abuse and homicides, suicides and unexpected deaths, the better equipped we are to prevent them from happening in the first place.”