The home secretary, Theresa May, announced on Thursday that a new domestic abuse offence of “coercive and controlling behaviour” is to be introduced, carrying a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine. May said that the new offence was needed because such behaviour in relationships could be “tantamount to torture”. The decision is a victory for campaigners who have long argued that domestic abuse is more than a series of episodes of physical violence by a partner or ex-partner. But Refuge said the behaviour would be extremely difficult to prove, and police were not properly implementing the existing laws against serious physical violence.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 11:03:00 +0000
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