A Yearlong Cry for Help, Then Death After an Assault

Daniela Espirito Santo died after an assault by her boyfriend, who had been arrested, then released, by police. Her case is emblematic of Britain’s failure to protect victims of domestic abuse.

GRANTHAM, England — Daniela Espirito Santo died after waiting on hold for the police to answer her call for help. It was the seventh time in a year that she had reported her boyfriend to the police, including for death threats and for trying to strangle her. Two of those calls came in the hours before her death. The first was in the morning, after her boyfriend pinned her on the bed and pressed his forearm against her throat. “Is this it?” Ms. Espirito Santo, 23, had gasped, according to a police report. “Are you going to kill me this time?”