Police charge 26 in first month since non-fatal strangulation law introduced as over 1,800 PSNI officers have been trained to recognise the offence

By Jonathan McCambridge, PA
Published 28th Jul 2023, 10:24 BST
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Twenty-six people have been charged since a new offence of non-fatal strangulation was introduced in Northern Ireland a month ago, police have said.

More than 1,800 PSNI officers have now been trained to recognise the offence and the force is encouraging more victims to come forward.

Non-fatal strangulation or asphyxiation was made a specific offence at the end of June as part of the Justice (Sexual offences & trafficking victims) Act (NI) 2022.

Those convicted can face up to 14 years in prison.

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Detective Superintendent Lindsay Fisher speaking at PSNI Headquarters regarding the introduction of non-fatal strangulation or asphyxiation being made a specific criminal offence in Northern Ireland, punishable by up to 14 years’ imprisonmentDetective Superintendent Lindsay Fisher speaking at PSNI Headquarters regarding the introduction of non-fatal strangulation or asphyxiation being made a specific criminal offence in Northern Ireland, punishable by up to 14 years’ imprisonment
Detective Superintendent Lindsay Fisher speaking at PSNI Headquarters regarding the introduction of non-fatal strangulation or asphyxiation being made a specific criminal offence in Northern Ireland, punishable by up to 14 years’ imprisonment

Since then the PSNI have made 49 arrests and charged 26 alleged perpetrators.

This week a 31-year-old man was arrested in the Belfast area for offences including non-fatal strangulation against a 28-year-old woman.

He has now been charged and files have been submitted to the Public Prosecution Service for consideration.

Detective Superintendent Lindsay Fisher from the PSNI's Public Protection Branch said: "The successes so far have proven the need for this important piece of legislation.

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"We will be continuing to work with partners to raise awareness of this crime type and encourage more victims to come forward.

"Over 1,850 frontline officers and staff have now already been trained to recognise and respond and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to bring potential offenders to justice.

"We are acting on reports made to us and supporting potential victims who are being brave enough to pick up the phone."

Before the legislation was introduced, police officers would have to provide evidence of intent to commit an indictable offence. Now anything that does or could restrict someone's breathing in any way is an offence.

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According to police figures, over the last 10 years - January 2013 to December 2022 - there were nearly 164,000 domestic abuse offences recorded in Northern Ireland.

In the same time frame, seven people (six women and one man) in Northern Ireland were strangled to death.

More information on the legislation is available at https://www.psni.police.uk/safety-and-support/advice-and-information/non-fatal-strangulation.