Non-lethal strangling to be made a criminal offence

MINISTERS PLAN to make nonfatal strangulation a specific criminal offence punishable by five years’ imprisonment after coming under pressure from campaigners.

Also covering suffocation, the Government said it would introduce the legislation as an amendment to the Domestic Abuse Bill being debated in Parliament.

It will seek to address concerns that perpetrators can avoid punishment because the strangulation can at times leave no visible injury, making it hard to prosecute under existing laws.

Legislation will also be strengthened around controlling or coercive behaviour to no longer make it a requirement for abusers and victims to cohabit.

Laws to target so-called “revenge porn” will also be expanded to include threats to disclose intimate images with the intention to cause distress.

Domestic abuse commissioner Nicola Jacobs, who was among those pressing for the strangulation amendment, said the new provisions “will better support victims and will save lives” but called for ministers to go further.

“These changes are a huge win for domestic abuse victims, charities and campaigners, and I am delighted that the Government has listened and acted,” she said.

“Nevertheless, it must still go further to make this Bill genuinely ‘landmark’, by increasing the provision of services in the community and ensuring protections are extended to all victims and survivors, regardless of their immigration status.”

The Bill, largely applying only to England and Wales, is currently going through the House of Lords, where a series of amendments have been tabled. The Government previously signalled it would not make non-fatal strangulation or suffocation a specific offence until future legislation.