The Government has tasked the Law Commission to conduct a thorough review of the application of defences in cases of domestic homicide.
The move is largely a response to a March 2023 domestic homicide sentencing review, which found that the vulnerability of people trapped in abusive relationships has not been considered in policy where murders have been committed in a domestic context.
Welcomed by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, this review represents a significant shift in the challenges faced by victims of domestic abuse within the criminal justice system. The Commissioner underscored the importance of this reform, especially in understanding the complexities of coercive control and its implications.