'The support my Jessica needed is still not there'

Jessica Laverack, 34, was found dead at her Beverley home in 2018

The mother of a woman who took her own life after suffering domestic abuse says the authorities are still not working together to support victims.

Jessica Laverack, 34, was found dead at her home in Beverley, East Yorkshire, on 2 February 2018.

At her inquest, the coroner urged the government to recognise "the link between domestic abuse and suicide".

East Riding of Yorkshire Council said it had made "strategic and operational improvements, learning from Jessica's case, to better support all those affected by domestic abuse".

But Ms Laverack's mother, Phyllis Daly, said her daughter was failed by the authorities and the current system was "not fit for purpose".

Speaking on BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour, Ms Daly, 70, said there needed to be a review of the support system.

She said: "We've just used it for so many years, but nobody's challenged [it and asked] 'Does it work?'

"They have institutional blinkers on – 'It's not my agency, not my problem'.

"But they need to work together with domestic abuse as that central factor."

Phyllis Daly said as a grieving mum she nearly lost her home paying for legal fees

Ms Daly's comments came after a report found the number of victims of domestic abuse who took their own lives in England and Wales surpassed the amount of people killed by their partners for the second year in a row.

The Domestic Homicide Project found 98 people were suspected to have killed themselves after experiencing domestic abuse in the year to March 2024. During the same period, 80 people were killed by their partners.

After Ms Laverack's inquest, East Riding and Hull coroner Lorraine Harris wrote to the government calling for a fresh approach to help those deemed at risk.

Ms Daly said she had fought for the inquest to recognise the link between domestic abuse and her daughter's death.

"At a time of grief it shouldn't be a battle, but nobody could understand or see what I was saying," she said.

"They didn't seem to see that link that I saw between domestic abuse and suicide...had the abuse not been there, she wouldn't want to take her life."

Ms Daly said she nearly lost her home paying for legal fees, but her campaigning had "helped me through my grief".

She added: "I think if I hadn't been battling, fighting, I would have gone under.

"I can't bring my Jessie back but hopefully I can save some more Jessies out there and give them a better future to look forward to."

Phyllis Daly said she had to fight to get the link between domestic abuse and suicide recognised

In a statement, East Riding of Yorkshire Council said it "remains deeply saddened by Jessica's case".

It added: "Following Jessica's death, we have made strategic and operational improvements, learning from Jessica's case, to better support all those affected by domestic abuse.

"We are improving how we hear the voice of the those with lived experience of domestic abuse, how we communicate with partner agencies at the earliest opportunity, and how we respond and prevent domestic abuse related suicide."

If you have been affected by issues raised in this report, details of organisations offering information and support are available via BBC Action Line.

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