Make strangulation a specific criminal offence

Strangulation is often charged as the minor offence of common assault. Police and the CPS continually fail to acknowledge its seriousness and it is often not included as a charge in domestic violence cases. The law should recognise non-fatal strangulation as a specific physical and psychological attack.

Non-fatal strangulation is routinely charged as common assault - rather than ABH - due to a lack of physical markings. However, the long-term physical effects of strangulation include cardiac arrest, stroke, miscarriage, incontinence, speech disorders, seizures, paralysis, brain injury as well as psychological trauma and should be recognised as a specific offence and treated as a serious assault.