THE number of domestic abuse victims taking their own lives has risen for the third year in a row, police figures revealed today.

Domestic abuse-related deaths classed as suspected suicide were more common than killings by a current or ex-partner in the year to the end of March 2023.

The report, part of a project led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, recorded 242 domestic abuse-related deaths in England and Wales that year, including 93 cases where victims were thought to have taken their own life.