An alleged victim of domestic abuse who took her own life after being told she would be moved 250-miles away from her support network was ‘failed’, the Deputy Prime Minister has claimed. Angela Rayner MP made the comment in response to a coroner’s report concerning 34-year-old Joanita Nalubowa, who took her own life at St Pancras Hospital on Christmas Day in 2020.
In August a jury at Bow Coroner’s Court heard Joanita had been living in Stockton, near Middlesbrough, but was divorced and had few ties to the area. Joanita had also claimed her ex-partner was abusive, and told the authorities her support network was in London, not Stockton. Anxious about returning there, jurors heard Joanita said she would ‘rather die than return to Middlesbrough’.
Writing to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government after the inquest, Inner North London coroner Harry Lambert said ‘it was clear’ to clinicians that securing the right housing was ‘paramount’ to her mental health, and that surrounding her with a family support network was ‘crucial’. Despite this, Mr Lambert heard she was rejected by all London boroughs ‘correctly applying’ the relevant criteria.
Stockton is a market town on the River Tees in the North of England
(Image: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Mr Lambert said witnesses gave ‘clear’ evidence there was ‘no discretion’, and that council officers and clinicians were ‘powerless’. After Joanita was told she would be returning to Stockton against her wishes, against medical advice, and away from her family, to an area where she would have to ‘face her demons’ and at worst ‘be in physical danger’, she took her own life.
Responding to the report this December, Ms Rayner conceded ‘Ms Nalubowa’s needs were not met and that the system failed and let her down’. She suggested fault lay at the door of local authority decision makers and not, as had been suggested by those same decision makers at the inquest, the current legal framework.
The Deputy PM wrote: “It appears that at a crucial time, Ms Nalubowa’s needs were not met and that the system failed and let her down. From the evidence provided, it appears that these frameworks failed Ms Nalubowa in practice. I will be writing to the local authorities concerned to remind them of their statutory duties in this regard. I will reiterate my expectation that local authorities should place a high level of importance on using the discretion available to them when assessing applications for homelessness support or social housing, particularly for vulnerable people such as Ms Nalubowa.”
Ms Rayner also said the Government will bring forward changes to social housing allocations to ensure all local authorities provide exemptions to domestic abuse victims. A Mental Health Bill, which entered Parliament in November, will also review discharge processes to ensure the safety of patients.
Responding to the coroner’s concerns about the current legal framework, Ms Rayner said S198 of the Housing Act 1996 means alleged domestic abuse victims cannot be moved to an area where they are at risk and the local authority must accept the homelessness duty themselves. She also said the Homelessness Code of Guidance means local authorities should enquire about domestic abuse with a low standard of proof. “It appears that in Ms Nalubowa’s case the legislation may not have been applied as intended,” she added.
“Nobody should feel afraid in their own home and we are committed to halving violence and girls in a decade, and we will do everything in our power to achieve this and use every lever across government. As part of this work, and learning from Ms Nalubowa’s tragic circumstances, we are determined to explore what more can be done to reduce barriers to access social housing so that we can provide help for those who need it most.”
You don’t have to suffer in silence if you’re struggling with your mental health. Here are some groups you can contact when you need help.
Samaritans: Phone 116 123, 24 hours a day, or email jo@samaritans.org in confidence
Childline: Phone 0800 1111. Calls are free and won’t show up on your bill
PAPYRUS: For teens and young adults. Phone 0800 068 4141
Depression Alliance: The charity offers useful resources for people struggling.
Students Against Depression: For students who are depressed, have low mood, or are suicidal.
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): Phone 0800 58 58 58. For young men who are feeling unhappy.
James’ Place: Offering life-saving treatment to suicidal men in London and surrounding area.
For information on your local NHS urgent mental health helpline, visit here
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