Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs)
A Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) is a multi-agency review of the circumstances in which the death of a person aged 16 or over has, or appears to have, resulted from violence, abuse or neglect by:
· a person to whom they were related
· a person with whom they were, or had been, in an intimate personal relationship
· or a member of the same household as themselves
Since 13 April 2011 there has been a statutory requirement for local areas to conduct a DHR following a domestic homicide that meets the criteria. More information on DHRs can be found via the Home Office, here
The Stronger Safer Gloucester Partnership is responsible for commissioning and overseeing domestic homicide reviews (DHRs) and commissions DHRs in conjunction with Safer Gloucestershire.
DHRs are carried out to try to ensure that public bodies such as Social Services, Councils, Police and other community based organisations understand the circumstances that led to the victim's death and identify whether and how these sad incidents could have been prevented. DHRs are about learning lessons from the past in order to prevent similar incidents in the future. DHRs do not seek to lay blame; they recommend actions to improve responses to domestic violence situations in the future. DHRs include input from the victim’s family and friends so that an understanding of their whole life is taken in to account.
The Domestic Homicide Reviews that have taken place in Gloucester are below:
Laura and Ella
Laura, aged 31, and her daughter Ella, aged 11, died at their home in Gloucester in May 2018 at the hands of Ella’s stepfather and Laura’s husband (who she had asked to leave), who was also father to Ella’s half-siblings. The offender was charged with their murders and in November 2018 received a life sentence with a minimum term of 29 years. A joint Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) and Serious Case Review (SCR) into their murders was commissioned in order to determine what lessons could be learnt.
Laura and Ella DHR SCR (PDF, 1 MB)
Home Office Letter Laura and Ella (PDF, 95.2 KB)
SCOTT DHR
Scott was a 25 year old man who was killed by his ex-partner, Jenny, in 2018. The full DHR in to Scott's death is not being published in order to protect wider family members, but the family and the Home Office have agreed to a learning summary of Scott's DHR being published
Scott DHR Learning Summary (PDF, 384.4 KB)
ML DHR
Michael Liddell, aged 35, was killed by his mother Joy Liddell, aged 65, at their home in Gloucester in January 2019. Mrs. Liddell was charged with her son’s murder but died before the prosecution was concluded.