Crimes in domestic settings now to receive stiffer sentences

CRIMES will be treated as more serious if they are committed in a domestic setting under new sentencing guidelines.

People who subject spouses, partners or family members to abuse will face tougher punishments than those who commit similar offences in a non-domestic context.

For the first time official guidance for courts also makes clear that domestic abuse is no longer confined to person-to-person contact as culprits increasingly torment their victims using technology such as social networks or tracking devices.

The approach to severity marks a significant shift from the existing position, which has applied since 2006.

Instructions for judges and magistrates currently state that offences in a domestic context should be seen as “no less serious” than others.

The new guidelines, published by the Sentencing Council today, say: “The domestic context of the offending behaviour makes the offending more serious because it represents a violation of the trust and security that normally exists between people in an intimate or family relationship.

“Additionally, there may be a continuing threat to the victim’s safety, and in the worst cases a threat to their life or the lives of others.”

Domestic abuse is rarely a one-off incident, the document notes.

Provocation is no mitigation to an offence within a domestic context, except in rare circumstances, the guideline says.

It will apply to offenders aged 16 and older sentenced in England and Wales on or after May 24.