Coroner’s courts in England have faced criticism from families of domestic abuse victims who died by suicide, with campaigners highlighting inconsistencies in how inquests consider the role of abuse. The scope of evidence examined is determined by individual coroners, leading to a ‘postcode lottery’ where outcomes vary depending on location.
Helen Boniface, a lawyer at Hogan Lovells, described the system as “incredibly frustrating”, noting that families have no easy route to challenge a coroner’s decision if evidence of abuse is excluded. Judicial review is expensive and emotionally taxing, deterring many from pursuing it.
In a landmark case last September, a coroner ruled that Georgia Barter was unlawfully killed by her former partner Thomas Bignell after years of domestic abuse, despite no criminal charges being brought. However, other families report coroners limiting inquests to the immediate period before death, ignoring the broader context of coercive control.
Pragna Patel from Project Resist called for greater consistency, stating that “half of the problems” stem from inconsistent coroner responses. Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse’s Frank Mullane added that restricting scope to the day of death “reveals an ignorance of the cumulative nature of domestic abuse”.
