Police lacked understanding in abuse case - coroner

Kellie Sutton died three days after being found unconscious at her home

Police showed a "lack of understanding" of controlling and coercive behaviour in the case of a woman who was unlawfully killed, a coroner said.

Mother-of-three Kellie Sutton, 30, was found unconscious at the home she shared with abusive partner Steven Gane in Welwyn Garden City on 23 August 2017.

In a prevention of future deaths report, assistant coroner Samantha Broadfoot KC said there was also "a lack of awareness of the link between domestic abuse and suicide".

Hertfordshire Constabulary said improvements had since been made to protect victims.

Steven Gane was jailed four years and three months in 2018

In March 2018, Gane was jailed for four years and three months for physically and mentally abusing Ms Sutton.

He was found guilty of controlling and coercive behaviour, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assault by beating.

An initial inquest concluded Ms Sutton died by suicide but this was overturned in July last year.

It was believed to have been the first time an inquest has returned a conclusion of unlawful killing after a woman has taken her own life following domestic abuse.

The jury found "failures or inadequacies by Herfordshire Constabulary which may have contributed" to Ms Sutton's death.

In her report, sent to Hertfordshire Constabulary, Ms Broadfoot highlighted "matters of concern".

"There was a lack of understanding of controlling and coercive behaviour, what it is, and the impact on victims," she said.

"There was a lack of awareness of the link between domestic abuse and suicide."

She said there was also a "lack of understanding by frontline officers of the circumstances in which a Domestic Violence Protection Notice could be applied for".

The inquest was run by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Coroner's Service.

Amanda Bell, T/Assistant Chief Constable of Hertfordshire Constabulary, said: “Following Kellie’s inquest, we created a Vulnerability Information Portal."

"This is an app on officers’ phones where they can easily access information about subjects including coercive control, domestic abuse and suicide, plus many other safeguarding matters."

She added: "The link between domestic abuse and suicide now features prominently in all our training around sudden deaths."

There was now revised guidance for officers attending a report of a sudden death, which includes looking at the domestic abuse history of parties, Ms Bell said.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.