Dr Laurène Soubise wins funding to address the ‘loss of control’ defence in domestic homicide cases

Dr Soubise has been awarded funding from the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account for a new project in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Liverpool, Prof Anna Carline and Dr Sarah Singh.

In 2009, the ‘loss of control’ defence replaced the outdated ‘provocation’ defence in murder cases to better support women who kill abusive partners and to prevent excuses for male violence due to infidelity or ‘nagging’.

However, Dr Soubise and her co-investigators’ analysis of appeal cases shows that the new defence still often favours men and fails to adequately address domestic and sexual abuse against women.

The project aims to foster a national debate on reforming the ‘loss of control’ defence, ensuring it better serves victims of domestic abuse. By raising public awareness, influencing policymakers, and establishing a collaborative network, the project seeks to drive meaningful legal and policy changes that address systemic issues in domestic homicide cases.

The Law Commission is currently reviewing homicide law, providing a timely opportunity to influence reform.

Dr Soubise and her co-investigators are partnering with the Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ), a charity dedicated to combating male violence against women and girls through legal action and advocacy. CWJ’s extensive experience and strategic litigation efforts will make them a valuable collaborator in this project.

Their project will establish an interdisciplinary network of practitioners, academics, and third-sector organisations to share knowledge and experiences. They will create an animation video to explain the ‘loss of control’ defence and its implications, making the information accessible to the public. They will also produce a policy brief to influence policymakers and support the Law Commission’s review.

Additionally, they will explore opportunities for future research collaborations with CWJ to further enhance the impact of their work.

Dr Soubise says:

We are thrilled to receive this funding, which will enable us to deepen our understanding of the ‘loss of control’ defence and its impact on domestic homicide cases. By collaborating with the Centre for Women’s Justice and other key stakeholders, we aim to drive meaningful legal reforms that better protect victims of domestic abuse and ensure justice is served. 

The team have already published an open access article Civilising loss of control? The role of criminal justice gatekeepers which is the centrepiece of the background research for their project. 

Dr Soubise is a member of the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies, the Feminist Research Into Violence & Abuse Network and the Legal Professions Research Group, and can be found on Bluesky here and LinkedIn here.