The Department of Justice has published executive summaries of two Domestic Homicide Reviews, one concerning the death of a disabled man from the Travelling community referred to as Anthony. The review found he was repeatedly not recognised as a victim of domestic abuse due to his gender, disability, and cultural background.

The independent panel, chaired by Jan Melia, made 54 recommendations in Anthony's case. It concluded that statutory agencies failed to properly identify and support him, highlighting deep-seated blind spots across police, housing, health, social care, and probation services.

The report states that Anthony had an acquired brain injury and calls for a major government-led research project into domestic abuse and disability, to be jointly led by the Departments of Justice and Health. It also recommends a time-limited multi-agency group to produce a detailed report on service gaps and funding needs.

The review notes that male victims of domestic abuse are increasing in Northern Ireland, rising from 25% of all victims in 2004/05 to 32% in 2021/22. It stresses that abuse against men is serious and often overlooked, with victims sometimes not seen as victims simply because of their gender.

Anthony's family background in the Travelling community was a key factor. The report says trust between Travellers and authorities, particularly around housing, was badly damaged. The Northern Ireland Housing Executive is criticised after an internal email was passed to Anthony's family, causing a breakdown of trust on a transit site. The review calls for better information handling and diversity training.

The police are told to tighten their frontline response to domestic abuse, with mandatory training for student officers and first responders. This training must include risk assessment tools and processes, and specifically cover abuse by relatives, which was relevant in Anthony's case. Joint training across agencies is also recommended.

The report further highlights issues with information sharing between health and social care services, and delays in the court system. It reminds Children's Services of their legal duty to appoint a personal adviser to care leavers at age 16, implying this did not consistently happen in Anthony's case.

A second review, into the death of a woman referred to as Laura, made 14 recommendations. It focuses on how agencies engage with potential victims, listen to their experiences, and share information effectively, with mental health identified as another key learning area.

Both reviews were established under the Domestic Violence, Crimes and Victims Act 2004 and introduced in Northern Ireland in December 2020. They are intended to promote learning to prevent future domestic homicides.