Abusers who alienate their partners to try to control or induce fear face up to five years in prison after a new crime comes into force.
Non-fatal strangulation usually involves someone intentionally strangling or affecting their victim’s ability to breathe in an attempt to control or intimidate them.
And a specific crime has been committed as part of the Government’s Domestic Abuse Act.
It will apply to British citizens abroad, meaning people can be prosecuted in England and Wales for crimes committed abroad.
The decision was made out of concern that the perpetrators were avoiding punishment, as the act often cannot leave any visible injury, making it difficult to prosecute for existing crimes such as actual bodily harm (ABH).
Meanwhile, the scheme allows victims and witnesses of crimes such as rape and modern slavery to be videotaped and later reproduced during the trial in 11 other Crown courts.
Recording takes place as close as possible to the time of the crime, while the memories are kept fresh and help victims avoid the stress of presenting evidence at a trial.
It had already been successfully introduced in another 26 courts.
Deputy Victoria Atkins, Minister for Violence Against Women and Girls, said: “These measures are part of our plan to ensure that victims receive the support and justice they deserve, in addition to ‘Introduce a new Victims Act, launch a 24-hour rape hotline and recruit more independent sexual violence advisers and improve police-prosecution collaboration.’
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Steve Witheyman, service manager for Sexual Trauma and Abuse Restorative Therapies (START) in Hampshire, where the measure was implemented last month, said: “The value of pre-recorded evidence for sexual trauma victims and survivors is huge, as it offers protection from real and often damaging retraumatization and repetition of past events and unwanted experiences.
“It is a major leap forward in the criminal justice system and a significant change in mindset where truly supporting a victim becomes a key component in the whole process and will certainly encourage more victims to report sexual offenses in the future.”