Domestic Homicide is when someone is murdered by an intimate partner, or ex-partner, or a family member or if someone takes their own life and they have been a victim of domestic abuse.
On average, two women are murdered each week by their current or ex-partner.
When a domestic homicide, or a domestic abuse related suicide, has happened, the Community Safety Partnership in that area is asked by the Home Office to carry out a Domestic Homicide Review. A Domestic Homicide Review looks into the circumstances and tries to determine if things could have been done differently to protect the victim. The agencies involved in the review could include police, social care, health, mental health, specialist support organisations.
The process of a Domestic Homicide Review can be hugely traumatic for the friends and family of the victim. They may be asked to provide evidence or information about the victim and may also find out things about what happened that are extremely distressing.