A major conference calling for sweeping legal reform to better protect victims of domestic abuse has been held in Blackpool, where campaigners renewed calls for the introduction of Kiena’s Law. Hosted by Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner at the Winter Gardens, the landmark event brought together police leaders, bereaved families, legal experts, frontline professionals and national campaign groups to address what many described as one of the most overlooked consequences of domestic abuse – suicide linked to coercive and controlling behaviour. The conference, titled Domestic Abuse-Related Suicide: Improving Recognition, Response and Justice, focused on improving how domestic abuse-related suicides are recognised, investigated and prosecuted. 
At the heart of the campaign is the case of Kiena Dawes, a 23-year-old woman who died by suicide in July 2022 after suffering prolonged coercive and controlling behaviour. Her former partner, Ryan Wellings, was later convicted of coercive and controlling behaviour and assault but acquitted of manslaughter, a verdict that left Kiena’s family without a legal route to hold him accountable for the role his abuse was found to have played in her death. Campaigners say her case exposed a gap in the law and has become the driving force behind proposals for Kiena’s Law – legislation that would create a specific criminal offence for domestic abuse-related suicide where an abuser’s behaviour is found to have significantly contributed to a victim taking their own life. 
Speakers at the conference highlighted alarming national figures, revealing that 150 suspected domestic abuse-related suicides were recorded last year, an increase from 98 the previous year. Campaigners warned that these deaths now outnumber intimate partner homicides, yet many fail to receive the same level of investigation or legal scrutiny. Experts argued that existing legislation does not adequately recognise the relationship between coercive control and suicide, often leaving bereaved families without justice while perpetrators avoid meaningful accountability. One of the most poignant moments of the event was a public memorial installation in St John’s Square, where 150 pairs of blue shoes were displayed to represent each life believed to have been lost to domestic abuse-related suicide over the past year. The installation also included children’s shoes, symbolising the sons and daughters left behind after the deaths of parents affected by domestic abuse. Organisers said the conference marked an important step in raising awareness of domestic abuse-related suicide and strengthening calls for legal reform to ensure victims and their families receive the recognition and justice they deserve.
