Soraya was the mother of two young children when she was found dead at her home. In the year before her death, she had disclosed to police many serious incidents of assault by her partner, but she did not feel able to press charges. Soraya had a heart condition that she told police about on several occasions, and which put her at increased risk of death during violent incidents.
The day she died was the first time that Soraya had agreed to make a formal statement to the police against her partner. He was arrested and admitted strangulation and threats to kill, but was then released from custody by the police, and returned to Soraya’s home in breach of bail conditions and assaulted her again. Soraya’s parents want to know why their daughter died, why she wasn’t better protected from her partner and for the full circumstances around the police decisions to be investigated.
Soraya’s family approached the Centre for Women’s Justice for assistance with the inquest. The Coroner had decided that Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights did not apply, which means that a more detailed exploration of the police role in the events would not take place, only an inquest with a much narrower scope. A barrister on our legal reference panel agreed to represent the family at a pre-inquest hearing free of charge, and a solicitor on our panel took the case on. Making detailed legal submissions they managed to persuade the Coroner that Article 2 was engaged. This means that a much more thorough inquest will take place and also that Soraya’s parents will be entitled to legal aid.
*not her real name
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