Commissioner's event convenes partners to prevent domestic abuse related deaths

Commissioner Clive Grunshaw convened professionals from the police, local domestic abuse services and public-sector professionals in Preston to share learning and best practice around domestic abuse-related deaths including suicides.

Findings from the national Domestic Homicide Project revealed that between 2023 and 2024, there were 98 suspected suicides linked to domestic abuse. Published in March 2025, the report also showed that for the second consecutive year, suspected suicides following domestic abuse outnumbered homicides involving current or former partners.

The Commissioner’s Office has a strong focus on tackling violence against women and girls. In addition to ongoing lobbying activity to change legislation around domestic abuse-related suicide, the Office is also at the forefront of pioneering research to better understand and prevent victim suicide following domestic abuse.

The aim of this work is to bring together agencies from policing and domestic abuse services to mental health services, public health agencies and local authority professionals to ensure a better understanding of responsibilities and opportunities to work together to keep people safe.

Attendees heard from renowned Forensic Criminologist and Professor of Public Protection Jane Monckton-Smith OBE. As a former police officer and expert in homicide, coercive control, and stalking, Jane shared information about the homicide and victim escalation timelines which she has developed to support professionals to assess risk in domestic abuse cases.

Julie Aunger, whose daughter Katie died in 2016, shared her personal experience of witnessing her daughter suffer domestic abuse at the hands of her partner. Both Katie and her then ex-partner died as a result of taking a fatal combination of drugs. An inquest concluded that the circumstances of how they had taken the drugs could not be established.

Julie was successful in securing an independent Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) to investigate the circumstances surrounding Katie’s death, following years of campaigning. A DHR is a multi-agency investigation held to review the circumstances surrounding the death of a person aged 16 or over, which has, or appears to have, resulted from violence, abuse, or neglect by a person they were related to, in an intimate personal relationship with, or a member of the same household.

Katie’s story clearly illustrated the different stages of risk as her relationship progressed, providing powerful insights into why continued learning and sharing best practice is so important when working with anyone affected by domestic abuse.

Commissioner Grunshaw said: “Tackling violence against women and girls is the number one priority in my Police and Crime Plan.

“Supporting victims of abuse is really complex and we know that the risk to victims is extremely high at the point they try to seek support and break free.

“This is why it is so important to ensure we utilise all the tools at our disposal to work together, to protect victims, to target offenders and ultimately to prevent lives being lost.”

Jane Monckton-Smith added: “I’m really pleased to support this event for Lancashire professionals to share learning and best practice to ensure we support victims of abuse in the best possible way.

“The more we can pick up on signs that may indicate an escalation in risk from the abuser, the more likely we are to keep victims safe and protect them.

“It’s great to see so many different services represented today, working in close partnership is key to protecting people and ensuring we don’t miss opportunities to intervene and break the cycle of abuse.”

Information for anyone affected by domestic abuse in Lancashire is available at noexcuseforabuse.co.uk