A call has been made for investigations into deaths in Reading, where domestic violence and abuse could be a factor.
Sinead Gibson is a domestic abuse campaigner in the town and won a Pride of Reading award in 2024 for her work.
Her daughter, Diva, sadly died by suicide in 2020, aged 26.
Mrs Gibson set up the Every Little Thing festival to provide a day of healing, education and community for people of all ages.
There have been serious cases where murders and deaths of women have been linked to domestic violence in Reading.
Examples include the murder of Beth Aspey by her boyfriend Ben Shand in 2021, and the alleged murder of Linner Sang by Edwine Kiplangat last year.
That is why Mrs Gibson has asked what can be learned to tackle domestic abuse cases going forward.
Speaking at a full meeting of Reading Borough Council, she said: “I would like to ask about how Reading identifies and reviews deaths where domestic abuse or coercive control may be a contributing factor.
“Where there is a suicide or unexplained death, and there is a known history of domestic abuse or concerns raised by family members, what is the process for those cases to be routinely screened by the Reading Community Safety Partnership for a Domestic Homicide Review or similar safeguarding review?
“Since 2019, how many such deaths have been screened, and how many progressed to a full review?
“What joint protocol exists between the council, Thames Valley Police (TVP), health partners and the coroner to ensure information is shared and these deaths are not treated solely as medical or accidental when there may be safeguarding concerns?”
The Reading Community Safety Partnership (CSP) is a group made up of the council, police and other agencies to tackle crime and serious violence.
The question was answered by Karen Rowland, lead councillor for community safety.
She said: “Statutory guidance states that when a domestic homicide occurs, the relevant police force should inform the CSP in writing of the incident. In Reading this means that TVP will notify Reading’s CSP and the CSP then has overall responsibility for requesting a Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) to be carried out.
“CSPs are best placed to do this as they are made up of multi-agencies including police, local authority, fire and rescue authorities, probation service and health.
“Since 2019, there have been four deaths in total, which have been passed to the CSP, and two of these progressed to a full DHR or Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews (DARDR).
On sharing information with the coroner’s court, cllr Rowland said: Coercive control as an aspect of domestic abuse has been gaining increased attention and understanding.
“There is no doubt that suicide is a leading cause of death for women as a result of domestic abuse and /or coercive control and the Coroner’s office has confirmed definitively to us that they are “very aware” of the issue.
“The Coroner’s Office is duty-bound to raise further questions to the TVP and or other relevant agencies as necessary to ensure that such instances are not overlooked. Such probing has resulted in triggering DARs or SARs and that practice by the Coroner’s office is ongoing.”
The answer was given at a full council meeting in February.
Cllr Rowland is standing to keep her seat in the council elections on Thursday, May 7.
