New Law Will Protect More Victims – Long

Alliance Party leader and former Justice Minister Naomi Long has welcomed a new piece of legislation that criminalises non-fatal strangulation.

The law means that non-fatal strangulation is an offence in any of the various circumstances that it can occur in, such as part of domestic abuse, 'rough' intercourse, or simply as an act of violence. The defence of consent will not be available in incidents where serious harm occurs.

The offence has been added to the Justice (Sexual offences and Trafficking Victims) Act, resulting in sentences of up to 14 years in prison. Over the last 10 years seven people (six women and one man) in Northern Ireland were strangled to death.

Previous to this legislation, police would have to provide evidence of intent to commit a chargeable offence. Now it is possible to face imprisonment for restricting another person’s ability to breathe in any way as a standalone offence.

Mrs Long said: "It can be used as a tool to exert control over victims. This new offence will allow such perpetrators to be identified early, enabling them to be stopped before any other and potentially more deadly incidents occur.

"Previously, the justice system faced challenges when it came to dealing with cases of non-fatal strangulation. I welcome the commencement of this new offence and hope it will help bring an extra layer of protection for victims and identify those who would commit non-fatal strangulation before it develops into something deadlier."

The PSNI second Long in welcoming the new law as they have already trained 1,560 officers to be able to put this new legislation into action as well as raising awareness through social media in the coming weeks specifically focusing on sexually motivated strangulation and domestic abuse.

Detective Superintendent Fisher stated: "It is common for strangulation to leave no visible signs of injury and consequences can be delayed by days or weeks. These include stroke, cardiac arrest, miscarriage, incontinence, seizures, memory loss and long-term brain injury.

"Consciousness can be lost after as little as four seconds. Blocking the jugular vein can take less pressure than opening a can of coke. Loss of consciousness indicates at the very least, a mild brain injury and many victims lose control of their bladder and bowels." Stressing the dangers of non-fatal strangulation and the importance of this new piece of legislation.

The PSNI have also explained this on their website: www.psni.police.uk/non-fatal-strangulation

A victim of non-fatal strangulation has come forward anonymously to share her experiences; "There were several occasions of violence and a couple of strangulation, the reason I reported it to the police I suppose, was the increase in the severity and the velocity of when I was strangled," she said.

'I could feel an enormous crushing around my neck.'

"It doesn't take long for somebody to slip into unconsciousness and ultimately pass away.

"I'm really pleased that the legislation has come in here and the sentencing guidelines, you know, the impact of it, it takes into account the extent, the absolute terror, the fear that somebody that's experiencing that feels, and also takes into account the impact that it can leave on your life."

(RP)