“It shouldn’t be disregarded as a small crime, I thought I’d die when it happened to me.”
The words of Sophie Henson, 24, who said she felt reassured to see “strangulation taken seriously” now by the justice system.
She was strangled by her ex-partner when she was 36 weeks pregnant and in a remote location away from her house.
She and other survivors of strangulation have welcomed new guidance on punishing offenders after the Sentencing Council – which promotes transparency and consistency – issued the first recommendations for judges and magistrates in Wales and England.
The new guidelines offer guidance on culpability and length of sentences, including detail on aggravating factors increasing seriousness, such as the presence of children, or if the victim is pregnant at the time of the offence, and factors reducing seriousness, including remorse, mental disorder or learning disability.
Rachel Williams, a domestic abuse survivor and campaigner, said the guidelines were long overdue for victims and survivors. “The criminal justice system at the moment is on the floor because we’re constantly seeing perpetrators not held accountable for their actions.”
Johanna Robinson, a member of the Sentencing Council, said there can be harm in seconds when being strangled. “The physical harm signs can be quite limited, but it can lead to strokes, brain injury and fatalities.”
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