Reviewing deaths after domestic abuse could be ‘life-changing’, MSPs told

The mother of a student who killed herself after being abused by her boyfriend has said reviews into such deaths could be “life-changing for so many people”.

Fiona Drouet said she backs the Scottish Government’s Criminal Justice Modernisation and Abusive Domestic Behaviour Reviews (Scotland) Bill.

The Bill would require reviews to take place following the death of a person where abuse by their partner or a former partner is known or suspected, as well as after the death of a child in similar circumstances.

The aim of a review would be to try and ensure similar deaths do not happen.

Ms Drouet’s daughter Emily took her own life in 2016 days after being choked and slapped by her boyfriend.

The mother said the proposals being considered at Holyrood would be a “welcome change” for families like hers.

Ms Drouet, the founder of the charity EmilyTest, told the Parliament’s Justice Committee the current system has failed to recognise warning signs to intervene in cases of domestic abuse.

She said: “There’s not a review process that exists in Scotland that covers that.

“This would, I believe, be so life-changing for many people.”

She said without a review system, she was forced to examine herself the systemic failings that led up to her daughter’s death.

She told MSPs: “We need to make sure that families are not left to uncover the systemic failures and bring about meaningful change.

“I think for the last almost nine years, that’s something our family has faced in having to uncover the many failures in Emily’s case.

“The toll that takes on you when you’ve not only lost a child to suicide but you have to then familiarise yourself with laws and look at what’s happened to ensure another tragedy doesn’t happen, it’s huge.

“It takes a significant toll. So these come as a very welcome change to us and many other families.”

Marsha Scott, chief executive of Scottish Women’s Aid, said the lack of domestic reviews in Scotland has led to deaths over the last two decades.

“I always worry that we are not counting the cost of not acting,” she said.

“Scotland has failed to act on domestic abuse reviews for 20 years and the cost of that is tragedy and death.

“I just want to remind us that that’s the cost that we’re trying to bring down.”

She said it is important any changes made at Holyrood are properly financed and lead to a real change for women impacted by abuse.

Last week, the Crown Office appeared before the committee to discuss the legislation.

Emma Forbes, national lead for domestic abuse at the Crown, said the Bill risks “diluting” the definition of domestic abuse and undermining Scotland’s approach to the issue.

The committee was warned the scope of deaths which would be included in the reviews is too wide.

Ms Forbes said Scotland’s current definition of domestic abuse, with the most recent legislation dating to 2018, is recognised as a “gold standard” internationally.

But she told MSPs: “We’re just concerned about inconsistent Government policy here and inconsistent definitions.

“It really matters that when we’re talking about domestic abuse, we’re all talking about the same thing.

“In Scotland, we recognise that’s intimate partner abuse.”