Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases

I want the Government to introduce legislation so that defendants charged with controlling or coercive behaviour cannot receive a sentencing reduction for a guilty plea entered after initially pleading not guilty. This should be known as Paris’s Law.

Controlling or coercive behaviour is a particularly insidious form of domestic abuse and we recognise the long-term emotional and psychological distress it can cause. In our manifesto, we committed to ensuring policing have the right skills and training to respond appropriately to victims of VAWG. In February 2025, the Home Office announced £13.1 million funding to launch a new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection (NCVPP) to act on this. The Centre will improve the response to violence against women and girls, creating a change in policing attitudes to ensure that officers respond effectively to VAWG crimes, including controlling or coercive behaviour, and offer victims consistent protection.

As of 3 February 2025, offenders convicted of controlling or coercive behaviour, and sentenced to 12 months or longer, are now automatically managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). MAPPA requires cooperative working between the police, probation, and prison services to manage the risks posed by the most serious offenders. This change recognises the significant harm this kind of offending can cause by putting controlling or coercive behaviour, on par with other forms of domestic abuse.

We also recognise that understanding of controlling or coercive behaviour has evolved significantly since the statutory guidance was published in 2023. As part of the recently published Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, the government has committed to updating the controlling or coercive behaviour statutory guidance by the end of 2026. This will reflect the latest policy and practice, as well as new and emerging issues.

In relation to reductions in sentencing, it has long been the practice of the courts to give a reduction in sentence where a defendant pleads guilty. A guilty plea avoids the need for a trial (enabling cases to be dealt with quickly), shortens the gap between charge and sentence, and, in the case of an early plea, saves victims and witnesses from the concern about having to give evidence.

The Sentencing Guidelines set by the Sentencing Council provide a sliding scale of reductions depending on the point at which the plea is made. The maximum reduction for a plea at the first stage of proceedings is a third. The discount falls to a maximum of a tenth when the offender pleads on the first day of the trial. The reduction will normally be decreased further, even to zero, if the guilty plea is entered during the course of the trial.

We recognise that guilty pleas made earlier in the process can save victims and witnesses from the concern of having to give evidence, particularly in cases involving controlling or coercive behaviour. However, even if an offender pleads later in the process, this can still save victims from giving potentially highly traumatic evidence, but the later plea is reflected by a substantially lower reduction in the sentence.

Ministry of Justice