A senior police chief has announced plans to charge more domestic abusers with manslaughter following the suicide of their partners. The move comes after the case of Kiena Dawes, whose partner Ryan Wellings was acquitted of manslaughter but convicted of domestic abuse.
Wellings subjected Dawes to repeated assaults and verbal abuse before she took her own life, leaving a suicide note describing him as a monster. The case was highlighted at the launch of the annual national police report on domestic homicides, which revealed that suspected suicide was the most common cause of death among domestic abuse victims in England and Wales for the second consecutive year.
Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for domestic abuse, expressed regret that a manslaughter conviction was not achieved in the Dawes case despite extensive evidence. She noted it was “heartening” that more investigations are being launched into deaths after domestic abuse.
The report also cited the case of Fawziyah Javed, who was pushed from Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh by her abusive husband Kashif Anwar. Anwar was convicted of murder and sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison. The report recommends that police check for a history of domestic abuse when investigating unexpected deaths.
Women’s Aid and the End Violence Against Women Coalition welcomed the proposals, calling for sustained funding for specialist domestic abuse services to address what they describe as a national emergency.
