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
Wakefield review
CSP: WakefieldPublished: September 2023Year of death: 2019Extracted: 1 rec
Statutory domestic homicide review under section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. Source: Home Office DHR Library.
The review found limited statutory agency contact with the victim and perpetrator regarding domestic abuse. The abuse, characterised by coercive control, remained largely hidden from services, despite being observed by friends and family. This highlights a need for strengthened routine enquiry and greater professional curiosity across agencies.
Home Office classifications
28 tags
Source-supplied classifications used by the Home Office to catalogue this review.
Victim - alcohol misuse
Victim - mental ill health
Victim - anxiety
Victim - depression
Victim - panic attacks
Victim - suicidal thoughts
Victim - suicide attempts
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)
Child - primary address same as victim
Perpetrator - case heard in court
Perpetrator - substance misuse
Perpetrator - mental ill health
Perpetrator - depression
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
Aggravating factors - coercive or controlling behaviour
Aggravating factors - psychological or emotional abuse
The use of routine enquiry across all statutory bodies in Wakefield should be strengthened and embedded in day-to-day practice. This particularly needs to be the case in GP practices and other health settings, for example the Emergency Department. However it should be further developed in other public sector agencies. Training should be provided where needed, but ultimately the test of effectiveness is the change in day-to-day practice and this should be subject to regular review. In making this recommendation the panel notes the work already undertaken in Wakefield and West Yorkshire more broadly, which represents a strong commitment to this practice.