Murderers with a history of coercive behaviour to face tougher jail sentences, so what is coercive control?

Domestic abusers who kill their partners and have a history of coercive control will face tougher prison sentences, new government plans have revealed. 

The new plans will see judges asked to consider longer jail terms for murderers with a history of abuse and aggression towards their victim. Sentencing guidelines for manslaughter when “rough sex” is involved are also set to be reviewed. 

Recommendations from leading criminal barrister, Clare Wade KC, were the catalyst for the change, as she was asked by the government to carry out an independent review into domestic homicide sentencing. 

The review was commissioned following the murders of 24-year-old Poppy Devey Waterhouse and 17-year-old Ellie Gould who were both murdered in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Both women were killed by their ex-boyfriends.

Poppy and Ellie’s mothers, Julie Devey and Carole Gould, were among family members of women killed by men to launch Killed Women. The organisation seeks to force change around domestic abuse and coercive control and have been campaigning to change the minimum sentence on domestic homicide since 2020. 

Current sentencing stipulations say that if a killer uses a weapon found in the home the tariff is 15 years, but it rises to 25 years for someone who brings a weapon. 

“The changes I am announcing today will mean longer jail sentences for those who kill women in the home, by taking greater account of the specific factors involved, whether it is controlling and coercive behaviour or cases involving particular savagery known as ‘overkill’,” deputy prime minister and justice secretary Dominic Raab announced on Friday. 

Women’s Aid head of policy, Lucy Hadley, said the law change was a “positive step towards greater awareness and recognition of the immense damage caused by controlling behaviours”, but “the reality is that conviction rates for coercive control remain very low”. 

What is coercive control?

Women’s Aid describes coercive control as “an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim”. 

It says that the behaviour is designed to make the victim dependent on the abuser by isolating them from support and depriving them of independence.

How many women are affected by coercive control?

According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 41,626 offences of coercive control recorded by police in England and Wales in the year ending March 2022. 

This is a steep rise from the 33,954 offences recorded the year prior. 

Further data from Merseyside Police found that 95% of coercive control victims were women, and that 74% of the perpetrators were men. 

How do you know if coercive control is happening to you or a friend or family member? 

According to Women’s Aid, the most common signs of coercive control include:

• Being isolated from friends and family.
• Being deprived of basic needs such as food.
• Having your finances controlled.
• Feeling humiliated or dehumanised by your partner.
• Your partner makes threats and intimidates you.
• You are repeatedly put down, such as being called “worthless”.
• Your online activity is monitored.
• You’re constantly asked how you spend your time or what you have been doing.
• A partner takes control of every aspect of your life, who you can see, what you can wear, and where you can go.
• Being deprived of access to medical services.