Inquests
What are inquests?
An inquest is a public court inquiry into a death. A Coroner holds an inquest when a person has died violently or unnaturally, when the cause is unknown, or when they died in state detention.
The Coroner (or in some cases, a jury) has to answer four questions: who died, when, where and how. An inquest does not apportion blame, does not establish criminal or civil liability.
The Coroner can record a conclusion, such as “died by suicide”, accident or unlawful killing. The Coroner’s secondary function is to write a report to prevent future deaths.
Where coercive control may have contributed to someone's death (including deaths by suicide following prolonged abuse) an inquest can examine that pattern of behaviour, and what agencies knew, as part of establishing how the person died. This is an area of law still developing, as it is increasingly recognised that a death can be the end point of a pattern of control. If the pattern had been stopped, the death might have been prevented.
For more information, see the charity ‘INQUEST’.
Key inquests about coercive control
Kellie Sutton
The inquest into the death of Kellie Sutton concluded in July 2023. The jury found unlawful killing after “months of controlling and coercive behaviour” by her partner. The Home Office has described it as a landmark in linking domestic abuse to suicide.
Joanna Hillard
The Coroner concluded the inquest into the death of Joanna Hillard on 26 February 2026 with the conclusion, “Suicide contributed to by coercive and controlling behaviour”. She found that Joanna's low mood, “due to a coercive and controlling domestic relationship”, more than minimally contributed to her death. The Coroner asked whether the Mental Capacity Act 2005 adequately reflects the effect of coercive control on decision-making. She also raised the limits of safeguarding where a person is assessed as having capacity but remains at high risk. The Department of Health and Social Care has published a response.
Natasha Hill
The Coroner issued a prevention of future deaths report on 1 May 2026. The National Police Chiefs' Council’s response records that her “experiences of trauma, exploitation, coercive control and domestic abuse continued”, but safeguarding mechanisms aimed at children reduced or stopped when she turned 18. The Coroner said that teenagers approaching 18 who face controlling or coercive behaviour should be formally reviewed by an adult safeguarding team.
Rebekah Arter
The Coroner concluded the inquest into the death of Rebekah Arter on 27 August 2025. She died in Barbados in June 2024, and the conclusion was an open conclusion, likely involving intoxication, with unlawful killing not excluded. Her husband, a police officer, “increasingly exerted coercive control” over her. The Coroner was concerned that the IOPC and the Metropolitan Police had missed opportunities to identify her as a victim of domestic abuse and coercive control. The Met has published a response.
Angela Mittal
At the inquest into the death of Angela Mittal, the jury found on 26 July 2024 that Angela was unlawfully killed. Thames Valley Police admitted that the officers who spoke to her "did not recognise that she was reporting the crime of coercive control" and did not record it. The coroner noted that the force's own training identifies coercive and controlling behaviour as a major risk factor for domestic homicide. The NPCC has published a response.
Lee-Ann Ince
The inquest into the death of Lee-Ann Ince concluded on 22 May 2024 that Lee-Anne died by suicide. She “was in a coercive and controlling relationship” and long exposure to the abuse had a significant effect on her mental health. The Coroner was concerned that the agencies supporting her had a limited understanding of how a coercive relationship can make it look “as if the victim was part of the problem”.