Petition · past parliament · Ministry of Justice
Align Coercive Control and Self-Defence to Create a New Defence to Murder
Closed
310 signatures
What the petition asks
This new defence must be created to protect domestic abuse victims who kill their abuser after a prolonged period of abuse. Currently, the only option to defend themselves is to be deemed mentally ill rather than an abuse victim. A gap must be bridged between self-defence and coercive control.
There has been at least 14 people that have spent time in prison for murdering their abuser acting in self-defence to their abuse yet not being afforded adequate protection in law.
Timeline
| 7 Jan 2021 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 7 Jul 2021 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
310
Status
Closed
Department
Ministry of Justice
Opened
7 Jan 2021
Closed
7 Jul 2021
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.