Abstract
In 2003, Julia Pemberton and her son, William, were murdered by her estranged husband. This crime revealed a disturbing lack of preparedness on the part of the police and resulted in sustained campaigning for accountability on the part of Julia’s family. This case, which will be discussed in more detail later in this chapter, formed the main stimulus for the adoption of Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) within the United Kingdom. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the prevalence and nature of domestic homicide in the United Kingdom, and the systems in place to respond to domestic abuse. We also explore the development and operation of DHRs, including a summary of emergent themes, and conclude by sketching potential directions for their improvement.
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The United Kingdom refers to the union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In addition to the UK government, the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland make their own laws and policies. Statistics produced by the UK government via the Home Office typically refer to England and Wales only (e.g., ONS 2015b); however, we will also include information about Scotland and Northern Ireland in this chapter where possible.
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The UK Home Office have produced revised guidelines on conducting DHRs in December 2016, after this chapter was written. These new guidelines make several changes to the process of conducting a DHR in the UK, with a focus upon increasing participation and raising standards. They can be found at this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/575273/DHR-Statutory-Guidance-161206.pdf
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In the United Kingdom there is no specific criminal offence for ‘domestic violence’; instead, existing criminal offences (e.g., common assault, harassment) are applied to fit the circumstances of each case. Because it is not defined in criminal law, an official governmental definition is used: ‘any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality’ (Home Office 2013a).
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The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK Parliament.
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‘Vulnerable adult’ is defined as a person ‘who is or may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation’ (Her Majesty’s Stationery Office 1997).
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These convictions were obtained under ‘joint enterprise’ legislation, which is normally used to prosecute perpetrators of gang-related violence.
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Available to view on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VepuyvhHYdM
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Payton, J., Robinson, A., Brookman, F. (2017). United Kingdom. In: Dawson, M. (eds) Domestic Homicides and Death Reviews. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56276-0_4
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