Scotland News
Hannaway familyScotland’s most senior law officer has ordered a fresh investigation into the death of a woman who was abused by her partner.
Demi Hannaway, from Airdrie, died in May 2021 after being the subject of physical and mental abuse at the hands of Andrew Brown.
Her family said they were “over the moon” at the move, which was confirmed during a meeting with Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC.
They previously said Police Scotland were too quick to conclude that the 23-year-old had killed herself.
Demi’s mother Helen Simpson told Scotland News: “We are just overwhelmed at the moment.
“It has been a long fight but, finally, our daughter’s voice has been heard.”
The lord advocate said: “I understand the huge loss felt by everyone who loved Demi and their desire to know what happened to her.
“The details of Demi’s passing have been discussed with her parents.
“In recognition of their ongoing concerns, I have instructed a reinvestigation by a team of specialist prosecutors to ensure that every aspect of this tragedy is addressed.”
Ms Bain added she valued meeting the family and hearing their views.
She added: “We will remain in contact with them and continue to provide updates as the reinvestigation progresses.”
Scotland News previously told how the family lodged a 32-point formal complaint to the force which highlighted its serious concerns over the police response.
The issues identified include:
- Officers taking an hour to arrive at Demi’s home.
- Claims that Brown told a police officer it was “all his fault”.
- Evidence, they say, of a violent struggle in the house.
The mother-of-two’s phone was also found, by her family, under her bed smashed with the sim card missing after officers left.
Brown, 33, was jailed for three years and seven months at Airdrie Sheriff Court last May after admitting threatening and abusive behaviour.
After his conviction, Ms Simpson described him as a “danger to women” and said the charge should have been upgraded to culpable homicide.
The couple first met in 2016 and moved in together after she became pregnant with their first child.
Hannaway familyPolice Scotland initially ruled Demi’s death was non-suspicious.
But it later emerged she had made a call to a friend asking him to get Brown out of their house hours before she died at about 06:00 on 13 May 2021.
Demi’s sister, Caitlin, later accessed her phone and uncovered images showing injuries caused by Brown.
These included pictures of bruising around her eye and neck that Demi had photographed before her death.
There were also messages from Brown calling her a “cancerous cow” and telling her he “hoped she would die”.
Demi’s father, John, said they had no idea about the abuse during the pair’s relationship and said she had “sung his praises” when they were together.
Friends also came forward to share their experience of the pair’s relationship as part of the initial three-year Crown Office investigation.
Brown was jailed for 43 months, but the family believes his sentence should have been longer.
The issue of suicides after prolonged domestic abuse has featured in a number of high profile cases south of the border.
These include the death of Kiena Dawes, whose former partner Ryan Wellings was jailed in January for assault and coercive behaviour.
And last year the parents of Roisin Hunter Bennett, who killed herself after suffering domestic abuse, called on coroners to have more understanding of the impact of coercive control.
But there are also rarer cases where domestic abuse killings are staged as suicide.
Campaigners want police to treat all sudden unexpected deaths where the victim has suffered domestic abuse as potential femicide.
A Home Office report in 2015 looked at 32 unexpected deaths that police had concluded were not suspicious but were then re-examined by forensic pathologists.
Ten transpired to be killings and a further five were suspicious and required further investigation.
Ahead of the announcement, Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson acknowledged the significant impact Demi’s death continues to have on her family and friends.
He added: “Police Scotland is committed to supporting them with answers to the questions they have around her death.
“This remains an extremely difficult time for the family, but I want to reassure them that officers from our professional standards department are working hard to address their complaints about how the investigation was handled as quickly as possible and will respond to them as soon as that work is complete.
“We must ensure that Demi’s family are the first to receive that response, so it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”
If you have been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via the Action Line.
