About this page. This page summarises a Domestic Homicide Review published in the Home Office DHR Library. The full report is available at the source link below. Victim and perpetrator names are not included in extracted summaries on this page.
Source · Domestic Homicide Review
Swindon review
CSP: SwindonPublished: April 2023Year of death: 2016Extracted: 16 recs
Statutory domestic homicide review under section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. Source: Home Office DHR Library.
The review highlights the perpetrator's history of violence and substance misuse, which was not adequately addressed by agencies. It also identifies the victim's non-reporting of abuse and a broader public reluctance to report witnessed or heard domestic violence.
Home Office classifications
41 tags
Source-supplied classifications used by the Home Office to catalogue this review.
Victim - mental ill health
Victim - anxiety
Victim - depression
Victim - had been a victim of an abuser before
Children - under 18 shared parental responsibility (between victims)
Children - under 18 shared parental responsibility (between perpetrators)
Children - living with victim (including adult children)
Children - living with perpetrator (including adult children)
Child - primary address same as victim
Perpetrator - case heard in court
Perpetrator - issued life sentence
Perpetrator - alcohol misuse
Perpetrator - substance misuse
Perpetrator - known to agencies as a domestic abuse perpetrator
Perpetrator - known to police as a domestic abuse perpetrator
Perpetrator - known to others as a domestic abuse perpetrator
Perpetrator - known to friends as a domestic abuse perpetrator
Perpetrator - known to family as a domestic abuse perpetrator
Perpetrator - attended perpetrator programme
Aggravating factors - separation
Aggravating factors - coercive or controlling behaviour
Aggravating factors - sexual abuse
Aggravating factors - psychological or emotional abuse
Aggravating factors - physical abuse
Aggravating factors - economic abuse
DHR process - family contributed to dhr
DHR process - family supported by expert specialist advocate
DHR process - family received draft report
DHR process - family attended dhr panel
DHR process - police recommendations
DHR process - health services recommendations
DHR process - idva or other domestic abuse support service recommendations
DHR process - probation services recommendations
DHR process - housing services recommendations
DHR process - community safety partnership recommendations
DHR process - technology systems recommendation themes
DHR process - identification of risk recommendation themes
DHR process - training recommendation themes
DHR process - policy recommendation themes
DHR process - record keeping recommendation themes
DHR process - awareness raising recommendation themes
Extracted recommendations
16 recommendations pulled from the report · 11 matched to organisations in the index
Addressed to
Swindon CSP | Partnership agencies | Swindon Women's Aid | The Diversity Trust
There is an apparent lack of public understanding on what course of action to take if a third party witnesses or hears an incidence of domestic abuse occurring. This should be addressed with a Swindon-wide campaign involving family, friends and communities to raise public awareness on what to do if they are aware of domestic abuse taking place. Part Two After evaluating the Campaign to promote it nationally through Women’s Aid g in e c n lu e d ra in l g p u e b m li - c, t A ic b use. ployers, friends, neighbours and colleagues in addition to victims of dog domestic abuse themselves. This will build on the Swindon Community Safety Partnership Domestic Abuse Awareness Programme that was initiated after a Domestic homicide Review in 2015. 3) Swindon’s Women Aid will contact the top 100 employers in Swindon to inform them of Women Aid Employers Resource Package and offer their Companies Domestic Abuse Training and assistance in developing Domestic Abuse Workplace Policies.’ 4) Swindon Women’s Aid and Swindon CPS to evaluate the Campaign then promote it nationally through Women’s Aid.
It is recommended that specialist support Services including Victim support should provide help to innocent families of perpetrators. Currently Police FLOs, AAFDA and VS only provide support to the families of victims. This blanket policy misses the facts 1) that perpetrators can also be victims. 2) Their families have committed no crime and are left to pick up the pieces. In this case the perpetrator’s sister being aware of the reluctance to help has indicated she no longer wishes to receive any helps from VS as her GP is arranging counselling.
Addressed to
Residential Landlords’ Association | Swindon Women’s Aid
The national association of residential landlords (RLA) will promulgate domestic abuse awareness to members and will place a domestic abuse policy on national website
Addressed to
Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire Community Rehabilitation Company | National Probation Service
BGSW CRC and NPS staff to ensure that changes to frequency of reporting is based on the dynamic risk factors of the service user and not solely on the completion of a requirement or intervention.
In consultations where details of sexual relations are being discussed, Clinicians should consider including a question such as "and are you comfortable with that?" which would give the patient the opportunity to disclose any concerns they might have about their relationship(s) without causing offence in cases where there were none.
When a GP Practice member has discussions with a patient around their ability to cope with thoughts of self-harm this needs to be fully documented. It should include all the patient comments on how they are feeling and managing their feelings, rather than being summed up in a single phrase that may not give the next clinician a clear insight into the situation.
Publicise within the GP Practice information regarding the support that Swindon Women’s Aid can provide confidentially to victims of domestic Abuse. i.e. a leaflet showing that : Swindon Women's Aid is a domestic abuse service for residents living in the Swindon area. The service operates 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, it’s confidential and free of charge. There is a 24/7 direct telephone helpline which is answered by specialist staff irrespective of the time of the call, day or night. They are also able to offer emergency refuge for women and children fleeing violence and abuse, and a community services which provides outreach support to both female and male victims, including those in same sex relationships
Where a victim discloses recent or non-recent domestic abuse attending officers should take positive action. If the Suspect is not arrested for an offence for which there is a power of arrest the officer must record their rationale in their pocket note book and on the PPD1.
Supervisors reviewing PPD1’s will be expected to make reference within the PPD1 to the decision taken not to arrest as part of their oversight into such matters, cognisant of the decision making process from the attending officer and the risks known at that time.
Operational officers will be reminded of Force Policy that if either drugs or alcohol are key factors in an offence for which an individual has been arrested, the arrested person should be signposted to a substance abuse support service and this should be recorded on the Custody Record.