8,545 Strangulation Charges Signal Intimate Violence Surge
CPS data from 2022-25 reveals sixfold rise under new law, tied to 90% domestic abuse
Prosecution numbers explode sixfold since 2022 Domestic Abuse Act, hailed as progress by CPS. The surge unmasks escalating violence against women, not justice gains, amid absent conviction data.
Commentary Based On
the Guardian
Prosecutions for strangulation in England and Wales increase sixfold in three years
Prosecutions for strangulation hit 8,545 in England and Wales last year. CPS leaders call the sixfold rise since 2022 a triumph of new legislation. The data exposes unchecked violence escalation, not prosecutorial success.
The Domestic Abuse Act created a standalone offence with five-year maximum sentences. Before 2022, most cases fell under common assault, capped at six months. Prosecutors now charge freely, but charges alone reveal nothing about courtroom outcomes.
London saw 919 charges in 2024-25, up 550% from 140. North-west England recorded 1,104, Yorkshire and Humberside 989. First-quarter 2025-26 data already shows 2,656 charges, projecting further growth.
CPS attributes the surge to better victim reporting, police referrals, and prosecutor training. Kate Brown, domestic abuse lead, notes 90% link to that field, often with coercive control or sexual offences. No figures track underlying incident rates.
Victims report terror of imminent death, even without visible injury. Research flags strangulation as a precursor to murder. Consent offers no defence; long-term damage persists.
Conviction data remains absent. Charges rose alongside CPS investments in trauma training and VAWG strategy. Solicitor General Ellie Reeves pledges to halve violence against women and girls.
Governments since 1997 expanded domestic abuse laws incrementally. Labour’s 2024 strategy echoes Tory 2021 Act provisions. Each administration reacts to rising harms without reversing trends.
Violence Patterns Persist
Strangulation infiltrates sexual relationships among youth. Police arrests often uncover years of prior abuse. Yet deterrence fails; cases like Michael Cosgrove’s 20-year term follow repeated offences.
UK homicide data shows domestic killings steady at 100-150 annually. Strangulation precedes many. Prosecution spikes confirm social controls erode faster than laws adapt.
Institutions prioritize charging over prevention. Welfare expansions and family policy shifts correlate with cohesion breakdowns. Ordinary citizens face heightened risks in private spaces.
This sixfold charge explosion documents intimate violence normalization. New laws patch symptoms while root failures—fractured communities, absent accountability—drive the caseload. Britain prosecutes more throttles because it endures more.
Commentary based on Prosecutions for strangulation in England and Wales increase sixfold in three years by Hannah Al-Othman on the Guardian.