Jury reaches ‘unlawfully killing’ conclusion in case involving self-inflicted death following domestic abuse

07/07/23

Kellie Sutton was a 30-year old mother of three. In March 2017 she started seeing Steven Gane who subjected her to physical and psychological domestic abuse from the start of their relationship.  Kellie was discovered unconscious on 23 August 2017, having hanged herself, and was pronounced dead in hospital three days later.

Steven Gane was subsequently convicted of assault and coercive and controlling behaviour of Kellie Sutton, but was not prosecuted for manslaughter.

Following a two week hearing, an inquest jury has returned a short form conclusion of ‘unlawful killing’, on the basis that the coercive and controlling conduct to which Kellie was subjected was an ‘unlawful act’ which had caused her to take her own life and amounted to unlawful act manslaughter.  The jury also made findings for Article 2 purposes that failings of Hertfordshire Police officers following a domestic abuse call-out in July 2017 may have contributed to Kellie’s death.

The inquest was held following the quashing of an earlier inquest that had returned a short form conclusion of suicide.

The jury’s conclusion is believed to be the first ‘unlawful killing’ conclusion in a case of self-inflicted death following domestic abuse.