To ask the Minister of Justice (i) whether she will review current law to ensure that perpetrators of domestic abuse can be held criminally responsible, where their actions result in a victim’s suicide; and (ii) to outline what consideration she has given to creating a specific offence of causing or encouraging suicide through coercive control or abuse.

This is an extremely serious and sensitive issue. The devastating impact that domestic abuse can have on victims including the potential for it to contribute to suicide, cannot and should not be underestimated.

The introduction of the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021 was a milestone in protecting people from violent and abusive behaviours. The 2021 Act has changed the way in which the criminal justice system views and responds to domestic abuse. Protection is no longer limited to physical abuse, and the legislation criminalises a course of abusive behaviour including controlling or coercive behaviour, which may be psychological, emotional or financial in nature.

Section 15 of the 2021 Act provides that any offence (apart from the domestic abuse offence) may be aggravated because it involves domestic abuse. Where the offence as well as the aggravation is proved, the court must take the aggravation into account when determining sentence. In principle, this could apply to manslaughter where it was established that someone had died by suicide as a result of domestic abuse.

I believe that the current legislation provides the courts with sufficient powers to hold perpetrators of domestic abuse to account. However ending domestic abuse in all its forms remains a key priority for my Department and I will continue to keep this under review, informed by learning and other relevant developments in neighbouring jurisdictions.

There is currently no specific offence of causing or encouraging suicide specifically through domestic abuse including coercive control in any part of the UK; however, under sections 13 and 13A of the Criminal Justice Act (NI) 1966 (the 1966 Act), it is an offence to encourage or assist with the suicide or attempted suicide of another person, or to intend to do so; and s.13A further provides that this includes where a person has encouraged or assisted by threatening or otherwise putting pressure on another person to commit or attempt suicide.