The Council has today published a new guideline for judges and magistrates sentencing strangulation and suffocation offences in England and Wales. We have also published the Council’s response to our public consultation on the draft guideline.

The offence of strangulation or suffocation and its racially or religiously aggravated version are very serious offences that are highly dangerous to victims. The offences were created by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and came into force on 7 June 2022.

The purpose of the guideline, which has been subject to public consultation, is to make sure that those who seek to harm others in this way receive sentences that reflect the seriousness of these offences.

The courts will start using the new guideline when it comes into effect on 1 January 2025. It will apply to all offenders aged 18 and over who are sentenced on or after that date.